Birthtale

Updated 26 September 2022

Some babies are born with the condition tongue-tie, which has the medical name ankyloglossia. The fold of skin under the tongue that connects to the tongue to the bottom of the mouth is shorter than usual, which can cause problems with feeding and the baby may not gain weight at the normal rate. These babies may require a surgical intervention in order to release the tongue, which is known as a frenulotomy or frenotomy. Frenulotomy services may be offered by the NHS or independent healthcare professionals such as doctors, dentists, or midwives.

The provider is a registered midwife who offers private tongue-tie services to the community in South East London. The provider is qualified to provide frenulotomy divisions for babies up to the age of one year. Divisions on babies with opposing teeth are referred to the local NHS team or ENT services. The midwife practitioner is also the registered manager with the CQC. This will be their first CQC inspection since registration in 2020.

The service is registered with the CQC to provide the following regulated activity:

• Surgical procedure

Updated 26 September 2022

In this report, we use the term ‘parent’ to describe either the birth parent or primary carer of the baby.

We carried out an inspection of Birthtale using our comprehensive methodology on 14th July 2022. This was the first time we inspected the service. We rated it as good because it was safe, effective, caring, responsive, and well led:

• The practitioner had training in key skills, understood how to protect babies and their parents from abuse, and managed safety well.
• Risk assessments were completed for babies using a standard assessment tool. The practitioner recognised risks to patients, acted on them and kept good care records.
• The practitioner treated babies and their parents with compassion and kindness, took account of their individual needs, and helped parents understand the condition.
• The practitioner provided emotional support to parents and made it easy for them to give feedback. Parents could access the practitioner when they needed it and did not have to wait long for assessment or treatment.
• The practitioner followed national guidance and there was evidence of quality monitoring through regular audit.
• The process of seeking and recording consent was thorough and included enough information to allow for informed decisions to be made by the parent.

However:

• Although suitable informal arrangements existed, the practitioner should seek written confirmation of level four safeguarding support from a local authority or other suitable organisation.

Updated 26 September 2022