8 December 2011
The Care Quality Commission issued a formal warning to New Leaf Health Care Limited that it must make urgent improvements to standards of care or face further action.
The warning follows an unannounced visit by inspectors to New Leaf Health Care Limited at the Leeds Clinic on 3 October 2011 to follow up a previous review of their compliance to the regulations regarding health and social care services..
New Leaf Health Care Limited is an independent healthcare organisation registered to provide slimming clinic services.
CQC found that the provider was still failing to meet the essential standards of quality and safety in relation to the care and welfare of people using the service.. Inspectors found that the service had not been taking enough care to plan and deliver treatment that would ensure people's welfare and safety.
The provider’s practice failed to comply with the guidance issued by professional and expert professional bodies. Inspectors found New Leaf could not assure through their records that people who used the service understood the risks associated with the treatment they received. Records held for users of the service were not adequately maintained.
Jo Dent, regional director of CQC in the Yorkshire and the Humber region, said:
"The law says that these are the standards that everyone should be able to expect. Providers have a duty to ensure they are compliant.
“This warning sends a clear and public message that New Leaf needs to address this issue as a matter of urgency.
“Our inspectors will return to New Leaf’s Leeds Clinic in the near future and if we find that the provider is not making the required progress we won’t hesitate to use our legal powers to protect the people who use this service."
Ends
For further information please contact the CQC press office on 0207 448 9401 or out of hours on 07917 232 143.
Notes to editors
CQC will publish further details of the inspectors’ findings in a review of compliance on its website at a later date.
CQC has issued warning notices to New Leaf Health Care Limited, Wentworth Court, Doncaster, South Yorkshire requiring action to meet:
- Regulation 9, Health and Social Care Act (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2010: Care and welfare.
- Regulation 20, Health and Social Care Act (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2010: Records
If improvements are not made, CQC has a range of enforcement powers which include restricting the services that a provider can offer, or, in the most serious cases, suspending or cancelling a service. CQC can also issue financial penalty notices and cautions or prosecute the provider for failing to meet essential standards. Any regulatory decision that CQC takes is open to challenge by a registered person through a variety of internal and external appeal processes.
Read the reports
Read the reports from our checks on standards at New Leaf Health Care Limited - Leeds Clinic.