sk:n Maidenhead

Updated 1 August 2022

Sk:n Maidenhead is operated by Lasercare Clinics (Harrogate) Limited, (known as ‘the provider’) who provide services from more than 50 locations across England.

This clinic first registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) on 20 October 2020 and is registered to treat patients aged 18 and over. The services provide independent doctor-led dermatology services, such as mole removal, minor skin procedures involving a surgical procedure and medical acne treatment. Other procedures, that do not fall under CQC regulation or scope of registration include non-surgical wart and verruca removal, lip fillers, skin peels, anti-ageing injectables, dermal fillers and laser hair removal.

Treatments are provided from:

• Sk:n Maidenhead, 55 St Lukes Road, Maidenhead, Berkshire SL6 7DN

The service website is:

• www.sknclinics.co.uk/clinics/the-south/maidenhead

Sk:n Maidenhead shares a location with THMG Maidenhead Clinic (which is run by the same provider) and whilst some facilities are shared there are some rooms used exclusively by this service.

The service is open every weekday with a range of opening hours. The service is open between 12pm and 8pm every Monday, between 10am and 8pm every Tuesday and Thursday, between 11am and 8pm every Wednesday and between 9am and 5pm every Friday. Appointment were also available every Saturday between 9am and 5pm. This service does not offer an out of hours service. Patients who need medical assistance out of corporate operating hours can access out of hours support via the contact centre, this is detailed in patient literature supplied by the service.

Treatments are provided by aesthetic practitioners who all provide only non-regulated aesthetic treatments. Doctors who specialise in dermatology, provide dermatology consultations and treatments at the clinic subject to the patient’s individual needs and appointment bookings. A clinic manager and a team of reception, administration and coordinator staff undertake the day-to-day management and running of the service. Staff are supported by the provider’s regional and national management and governance teams.

How we inspected this service

Throughout the pandemic CQC has continued to regulate and respond to risk. However, taking into account the circumstances arising as a result of the pandemic, and in order to reduce risk, we have conducted our inspections differently. This inspection was carried out in a way which enabled us to spend a minimum amount of time on site. This was with consent from the provider and in line with all data protection and information governance requirements.

We carried out this inspection on 21 July 2022. Before visiting the location, we looked at a range of information that we hold about the service. Before and during our visit, we interviewed staff, reviewed documents and clinical records, and made observations relating to the service and the location it was delivered from.

Due to the current pandemic, we were unable to obtain comments from patients via our normal process where we ask the provider to place comment cards in the service location. However, we were shown examples of patient feedback which the provider monitored on an ongoing basis. We did not speak to patients on the day of the site visit.

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 1 August 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 Sk:n Maidenhead on 21 July 2022. The service was registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in October 2020. We carried out this first rated inspection as part of our regulatory functions. The inspection was undertaken to check whether the service was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014.

Sk:n Maidenhead 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 regulated 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.

The service specialises in a combination of medical aesthetic treatments and anti-ageing medicine, as well as offering skin rejuvenation and a range of dermatology treatments. This service provides independent doctor-led dermatology services, offering a mix of regulated skin treatments and minor surgical procedures, as well as other non-regulated aesthetic treatments such as cosmetic anti-aging injections and dermal fillers which are not within CQC scope of registration. We did not inspect, or report on, those services that are outside the scope of registration.

Sk:n Maidenhead is registered with CQC to provide the following three regulated activities:

• Treatment of disease, disorder or injury
• Diagnostic and screening procedures
• Surgical procedures

At the time of our inspection, two clinic managers were the joint CQC 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 a 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 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. Patients were provided with information about their health and with advice and guidance to support them to live healthier lives
• Feedback from patients was consistently positive, feedback highlighted a strong person-centred culture.
• There was a clear strategy and vision for the service. The leadership and governance arrangements promoted good quality care.
• There was a focus on continuous improvement and improving safety within the sector. For example, the provider worked closely with the Joint Council for Cosmetic Practitioners (JCCP) and contributed to the co-design of new standards.

Dr Rosie Benneyworth BM BS BMedSci MRCGP
Chief Inspector of Primary Medical Services and Integrated Care