Dr Leah Cosmetic Skin Clinic

This service is rated as Good overall.

The key questions are rated as:

Are services safe? – Good

Are services effective? – Good

Are services caring? – Good

Are services responsive? – Good

Are services well-led? – Good

We carried out our first announced comprehensive inspection at Dr Leah Cosmetic Clinic, Loughton (Essex Clinic), as part of our inspection programme following the registration of a new service.

Dr Leah Cosmetic Clinics provide private non-surgical cosmetic treatments for patients aged 18 and over from three clinics: 10 Glentworth Street, Marylebone (Baker Street Clinic); 24 Chiswell Street, London (Moorgate Clinic); and 14 York Hill, Loughton (Essex Clinic). The Baker Street Clinic is the flagship and headquarters for the service, from where regulated activities are delivered.

This service is registered with CQC under the Health and Social Care Act 2008 in respect of some, but not all, of the services it provides. There are some exemptions from regulation by CQC which relate to particular types of regulated activities and services and these are set out in Schedule 1 and Schedule 2 of The Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014.

Dr Leah Cosmetic Skin Clinic provides a range of non-surgical cosmetic interventions, for example hair loss treatments, fat reduction injections and skin hydration treatments; and fillers for cosmetic reasons which are not within CQC scope of registration. Therefore, we did not inspect or report on these services.

The service has a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who is registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

Our key findings were:

• The service had a clear strategy and vision. The governance arrangements promoted good quality care.
• There were clear responsibilities, roles and systems of accountability to support governance and management. Leaders were experts in their relevant fields, and this had been recognised within the aesthetic care industry locally, nationally and internationally.
• The service provided care in a way that kept patient safe and protected them from avoidable harm.
• The service provided effective treatments and ensured care and treatment were delivered in line with evidence-based guidelines.
• The provider treated patients with kindness and respect and involved them in decisions about their care.
• The service was responsive to people’s needs, patients could access care and treatment in a timely way.
• The way the service was managed promoted the delivery of high-quality, person-centred care.
• There were systems to support improvement and innovation work. There were embedded systems in place for learning through regular multi-disciplinary governance and staff meetings.
• Leaders had a deep understanding about issues and priorities for the sustainability of the service and to ensure the delivery of high-quality person-centred care. Leaders advocated for patient safety and improved regulation and strived to improve standards in the UK cosmetic industry.

Dr Sean O’Kelly BSc MB ChB MSc DCH FRCA

Chief Inspector of Hospitals and Interim Chief Inspector of Primary Medical Services