Updated 17 July 2018
Brighton Laser and Skin Clinic is a private clinic providing minor surgical and aesthetic cosmetic dermatology treatments. The service is one of eight locations operating under the corporate provider trading of Laser and Skin Clinics and based in Brighton, Hove and Worthing. A second location, Brighton Laser Clinic, which is part of the same corporate provider operates from the same premises and carries out services concurrently. Governance is provided by the corporate provider and includes practice policies, protocols and governance. Procedures offered include the surgical removal of moles, skin tags, cysts and other non-cancerous skin growths which account for around 6% of the treatment episodes. The following aesthetic cosmetic treatments are also provided and are exempt by law from CQC regulation: laser hair removal; thread vein removal; tattoo removal; anti-wrinkle injections and fillers; laser skin treatment and microdermabrasion. Around 1% of the people receiving treatment are transgender patients referred by the NHS for laser hair removal.
This report concerns only the treatment of minor surgery in dermatology and not the aesthetic cosmetic services.
The provider address is:
Brighton Laser and Skin Clinic
56a Marine Parade
Brighton
East Sussex
BN2 1PN
The surgery is open from Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm. There are evening clinics on Wednesdays and once a month on Thursdays from 5pm to 8pm as well as a monthly weekend clinic on Saturdays from 9am to 12pm.
Registered services are provided predominantly by a lead GP who has a specialist interest in dermatology and holds a diploma in dermatology and who is supported by a consultant dermatologist. The lead GP is also the practice manager. There is an additional GP with a specialist interest in dermatology, an aesthetic practitioner and two laser practitioners who deliver the aesthetic cosmetic services. There are two receptionists and an administrator.
We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Brighton Laser and Skin Clinic on 2 May 2018. Our inspection team was led by a CQC lead inspector who was accompanied by a GP specialist adviser. Before visiting, we reviewed a range of information we hold about the
service. Prior to the inspection we reviewed the information provided from pre-inspection information request.
During our visit we:
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Spoke with the provider and clinical and support staff.
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Looked at equipment and rooms used when providing health assessments.
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Reviewed records and documents.
To get to the heart of patients’ experiences of care and treatment, we always ask the following five questions:
• Is it safe?
• Is it effective?
• Is it caring?
• Is it responsive to people’s needs?
• Is it well-led?
These questions therefore formed the framework for the areas we looked at during the inspection.