CLNQ Ltd

Updated 9 September 2022

CLNQ Ltd is a location registered by CLNQ Limited. The address of the service is: 49-51 Kings Road, Knutsford, Cheshire, WA16 6DX.

The provider is registered with CQC to deliver the Regulated Activities; diagnostic and screening procedures, surgical procedures and treatment of disease, disorder or injury.

Services to patients include consultation, investigation and treatment. The service provides a range of minor surgical procedures that are carried out using local anaesthetic. These procedures may be for health and or aesthetic purposes. Services may include; skin surgery to remove lesions minor eyelid surgery, minor aesthetic surgery. The service also provides consultation, pre-operative assessment and post-operative care for breast augmentation surgery. The surgery for breast augmentation is carried out at a local privately funded hospital. The clinical team consists of a consultant plastic surgeon and a GP. The service is provided to adults aged 18 and over. The range of services provided are listed on the provider’s website. The service also offers a range of other aesthetic procedures that fall outside the scope of CQC registration.

The service operates Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm. All appointments are pre-bookable.

The service is based in an end of terrace property on one of the main streets in Knutsford Village. Consultation rooms are available on the first floor of the building and there is no lift available to enable people to access this floor. The provider told us that those patients with access requirements can be seen at an alternative location which is within a hospital environment and provides fully accessible facilities.

How we inspected this service

Before visiting we reviewed a range of information we hold about the service and asked the provider to send us information. This included the complaints they had received in the last 12 months, details of significant events and the details of their staff members. We carried out a visit to the location and toured the premises and facilities throughout.

Our inspection also included:

• Speaking with the registered provider
• Speaking with members of the staff team
• Reviewing records
• Requesting supporting information and evidence from the provider

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 9 September 2022

This service is rated as Good overall.

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 at CLNQ Ltd on 2 August 2022. The inspection was carried out as part of our inspection programme. This was the first inspection of the service since it was registered with CQC.

This service is registered with CQC under the Health and Social Care Act 2008 in respect of some, but not all, of the services it provides. There are some exemptions from regulation by CQC which relate to particular types of activities and services and these are set out in Schedule 1 and Schedule 2 of The Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. CLNQ Ltd provides a range of services which are not within CQC scope of registration. Therefore, we did not inspect or report on these services.

CLNQ provides consultation, examination and treatments in general medicine for primary care,

aesthetic treatments, minor surgery procedures carried out under local anaesthetic, treatment of skin disorders and treatment/ management of hormone replacement therpay (using bio-identical hormones).

The registered manager for the service is also the person registered as the responsible person for the provider. 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.

Our key findings were:

• The service provided care in a way that kept patients safe and protected them from avoidable harm.
• Patients received effective care and treatment that met their needs.
• Staff dealt with patients with kindness and respect and involved them in decisions about their care.
• The service organised and delivered services to meet patients’ needs. Patients could access care and treatment in a timely way.
• Staff reported a good culture and effective systems were in place for quality control and governance.

The areas where the provider should make improvements are;

• Review the arrangements for sharing information with patient’s GPs.
• Maintain a record of the batch numbers for local anaesthetic.
• Ensure patients who are prescribed unlicensed medicines are formally informed of any potential risks associated with this.
• Formalise the staff induction process.

Dr Sean O’Kelly BSc MB ChB MSc DCH FRCA

Chief Inspector of Hospitals and Interim Chief Inspector of Primary Medical Services