This service is rated as
Good
overall. This was the first time we had rated this service. (The previous inspection in October 2013 was unrated; we found it met the five standards we inspected at that time).
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 an announced comprehensive inspection on 9 July 2021 at Sk:n - Newcastle Grey Street as part of our inspection programme.
Sk:n – Newcastle Grey Street is registered under the Health and Social Care Act 2008 to provide the regulated activities:
• Surgical procedures
• Diagnostic and screening procedures, and
• Treatment of disease, disorder or injury.
This service is registered with CQC in respect of some, but not all, of the services it provides. The service provides independent dermatology services, offering a mix of regulated skin treatments and minor surgery as well as other non-regulated aesthetic treatments. There are some exemptions from regulation by CQC which relate to particular types of regulated activities and services and these are set out in Schedules 1 and 2 of The Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. We only inspected and reported on the services which are within the scope of registration with the CQC.
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. There was no registered manager at the time of inspection due to a staffing change; however, the newly recruited Clinic Manager had applied for CQC registration.
Our key findings were:
- The service had safety systems and processes in place to keep people safe. There were systems to identify, monitor and manage risks and to learn from incidents.
- There were regular reviews of the effectiveness of treatments, services and procedures to ensure care and treatment was delivered in line with evidence-based guidelines.
- Staff treated patients with compassion, respect and kindness and involved them in decisions about their care.
- There was a clear strategy and vision for the service.
The areas where the provider should make improvements are:
- Review and improve the auditing of infection rates after minor surgery.
- Review and improve the training for staff in the use of spill kits.
- Review and improve the provision of information in a range of appropriate languages and formats where needed.
- The provider should review and improve the support and monitoring arrangements for clinic managers.
Dr Rosie Benneyworth BM BS BMedSci MRCGP
Chief Inspector of Primary Medical Services and Integrated Care