16 December 2021
During a routine inspection
This service is rated as Good overall.
This service was registered by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) on 24 June 2020 and this is the first time since then that it has been inspected and rated.
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 THMG Watford Clinic on 16 December 2021 as part of our inspection programme.
THMG Watford Clinic is registered under the Health and Social Care Act 2008 to provide the following regulated activities:
- Diagnostic and screening procedures.
- Surgical procedures.
- Treatment of disease, disorder or injury.
This service provides a mix of doctor consultation and doctor treatment services involving pre and post operative care for aesthetic and cosmetic surgeries.
The clinic manager is the registered manager and there are other registered managers within the group who are always available for advice or support if needed. 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.
Due to the current pandemic we were unable to obtain comments from patients via our normal process of asking the provider to place comment cards within the service location. However, we saw from internal surveys and reviews on social media that patients were consistently positive about the service, describing staff as professional, kind, polite, non-judgemental and caring. Patients also commented on the clinic being well maintained and clean. We did not speak with patients on the day, as there were none attending for regulated activities.
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 leadership and governance arrangements promoted good quality care.
Dr Rosie Benneyworth BM BS BMedSci MRCGP
Chief Inspector of Primary Medical Services and Integrated Care