Worthing Laser & Skin Clinic

Updated 10 September 2018

Worthing 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 as Laser and Skin Clinics and based in Brighton, Hove and Worthing. A second location, also known as Worthing Laser and Skin Clinic and under the provider Medical Skin Clinics Limited, operates from the same premises and carries out services concurrently. There are also two other registered locations operating from the same premises and carrying out NHS services concurrently, namely Worthing Laser and Skin Clinic and Sussex Community Dermatology Service Central Admin Hub which both operate under the provider Sussex Community Dermatology Service. Governance is provided by the corporate provider and includes practice policies and protocols.

Private procedures offered include surgical treatment of skin cancers including basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and melanoma, minor surgical treatment of the foot, blepharoplasty (the surgical removal of excess eye tissue), the surgical treatment of moles, skin tags, cysts and other non-cancerous skin growths, photodynamic therapy (a chemical interaction between light and a light activated cream to treat skin cancer) and treatment for acne. Surgical treatments are carried out under local anaesthetic. Around 800 new patients receive treatment per annum. 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.

This report concerns only the treatment of minor surgery in dermatology and not the aesthetic cosmetic services.

The provider address is:

Worthing Laser Clinic

51 Chesswood Road

Worthing

West Sussex

BN11 2AA

The surgery is open from Monday to Friday 9am to 6pm. There are evening clinics held some Thursdays from 6pm to 8pm as well as a monthly weekend clinic on Saturdays from 9am to 12pm.

Registered services are provided by six consultant dermatologists (two are also clinical directors) and two GPs who have a specialist interest in dermatology. There is a lead nurse and 19 registered nurses along with five health care assistants. There are two service managers, a head of human resources, a head of information technology, an education manager and a team of receptionists and administrative staff.

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Worthing Laser and Skin Clinic on 18 July 2018. Our inspection team was led by a CQC lead inspector and the team included 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:

• Spoke with the provider and clinical and support staff.
• Looked at equipment and rooms used when providing health assessments.
• 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.

Updated 10 September 2018

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 12 July 2018 to ask the service the following key questions; Are services safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led?

Our findings were:

Are services safe?

We found that this service was providing safe care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Are services effective?

We found that this service was providing effective care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Are services caring?

We found that this service was providing caring services in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Are services responsive?

We found that this service was providing responsive care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Are services well-led?

We found that this service was providing well-led care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the service was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

Worthing Laser and Skin Clinic is a private clinic providing minor surgery in dermatology. Procedures offered include the surgical removal of moles, skin tags, cysts and other non-cancerous skin growths. The service also provides the aesthetic cosmetic treatments for laser hair, thread vein and tattoo removal, anti-wrinkle injections and fillers, laser skin treatment and microdermabrasion.

This service is registered with CQC under the Health and Social Care Act 2008 in respect of the provision of advice or treatment by, or under the supervision of, a medical practitioner. At Worthing Laser and Skin Clinic the aesthetic cosmetic treatments that are also provided are exempt by law from CQC regulation. Therefore, we were only able to inspect the treatment of minor surgery in dermatology but not the aesthetic cosmetic services.

Dr Russell Emerson and Dr Fiona Emerson are the registered managers. 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 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

We received 32 comment cards from patients providing feedback about the service provided by this service and three other services registered at the same location, all of which were very positive about the standard of care they received. The service was described as professional and efficient and staff were described as welcoming, friendly and caring. There were also comments about the cleanliness of the premises. There was one comment about the lack of car parking spaces while another comment commended the good access to parking on the premises.

Our key findings were:

• There was a system for reporting, recording, sharing and learning from safety.
• Information about services and how to complain was available and easy to understand.
• The treatment rooms were well organised and equipped, with good light and ventilation.
• The provider assessed patients according to appropriate guidance and standards.
• Staff maintained the necessary skills and competence to support the needs of patients. Staff were up to date with current guidelines.
• Risks to patients were well managed. For example, there were effective systems in place to reduce the risk and spread of infection.
• Medicines were stored safely.
• Systems were in place to deal with medical emergencies. Clinical staff were trained in basic life support and the provider had appropriate emergency equipment and medicines in place.
• Staff were kind, caring and put patients at their ease.
• Patients were provided with information about their health and with advice and guidance to support them to live healthier lives.
• The provider was aware of, and complied with, the requirements of the Duty of Candour.