A private cosmetic clinic on Harley Street, London, has been rated inadequate by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and placed in special measures, following an inspection undertaken in March.
Cranley Clinic – which provides a range of treatments including cosmetic surgery, dental services and dermatology treatment – was also suspended by CQC after the inspection due to serious concerns about staffing, leadership and the management of medicines. This meant it could not provide care or treatment to patients.
A further inspection by CQC in June found improvements had been made and the suspension has been lifted, although the service remains in special measures. A report of the findings of June’s inspection will be published in due course.
CQC is monitoring the clinic closely and will inspect it again in the coming months to assess whether the improvements have been sustained. If there are any further concerns, CQC will take further enforcement action to ensure people are not exposed to unsafe care and treatment.
As well as being rated inadequate overall following March’s inspection, the clinic was rated inadequate for being safe, effective, responsive to people’s needs and well-led. Inspectors did not rate the clinic for being caring.
Nicola Wise, CQC’s head of hospital inspection said:
“Standards of care people received at Cranley Clinic fell below standards they should be able to expect.
“We found infection risks weren’t controlled well, and that premises weren’t always clean and well-maintained.
“We also found resuscitation equipment wasn’t always accessible in the event of an emergency, and leaders didn’t fully understand risks and performance issues.
“However, staff were caring and compassionate, and they helped people to understand their conditions and treatment.
“Due to the seriousness of the failings we found, we suspended the clinic as we were not assured it could provide safe care and treatment to its patients.
“We inspected the clinic again in June and found enough improvement for the suspension to be lifted. The findings of June’s inspection will be published in due course.
“We continue to closely monitor the service closely and will inspect it again to assess whether improvements have been sustained.
“If at any stage we are not assured people using the service are safe and well cared for, we will not hesitate to take further enforcement action.”
The inspection also found:
- There wasn’t evidence to demonstrate that staff had sufficient training in key skills, including safeguarding.
- Infection risks weren’t controlled well, and clinical areas weren’t clean.
- Equipment was poorly maintained.
- Premises weren’t safe, with several trip hazards in hallways and on staircases.
- Clinical waste was not safely disposed.
- Patient risk assessments weren’t always carried out.
- Medicines weren’t stored or managed safely.
- Safety incidents weren’t recorded properly or used to improve the service.
- There was no formal consideration to the needs of patients with reduced mobility, cognitive needs or requiring language support.
- Leadership wasn’t fit for purpose.
- Policies weren’t appropriate for the care provided.
- The senior team didn’t fully understand the risks and performance issues in the clinic.
- Staff couldn’t clearly describe their roles, responsibilities and accountabilities.
However:
- Staff treated patients with compassion and kindness, and they respected people’s privacy and dignity.
- Staff took account of people’s individual needs and helped them understand their conditions.
- People could access the service when they needed it.
The CQC has told the clinic what it must do to comply with its legal obligations and to operate safely, and the full findings can be found in the inspection report.
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