Elixir Treatments Limited

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? – Requires improvement

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Elixir Treatments Ltd. The reason for the inspection was because our current inspection priorities include services that have been registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) for over 12 months without being inspected. Elixir Treatments Ltd met this criteria because it registered with CQC on 12 November 2020 and the provider had not been inspected.

Elixir Treatments Ltd provides treatment of hyperhidrosis (excess sweating), headaches and obesity. These treatments are provided via a nurse-led service which also offers other non-regulated aesthetic treatments.

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 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. Elixir Treatments Ltd provides a range of non-surgical cosmetic interventions, for example dermatological skin care treatments, anti-ageing injectables, dermal fillers and chemical peels which are not within CQC scope of registration. Therefore, we did not inspect or report on these services.

Elixir Treatments Ltd is registered with the CQC to provide the following regulated activities:

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

The sole practitioner is the registered manager. A registered manager is a person who is registered with the CQC 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:

• Systems and processes to keep patients safe and safeguarded from abuse were operated effectively.
• Systems and processes to identify, manage and reduce infection prevention and control (IPC) and other environmental risks were fully embedded within the service.
• Medicines requiring refrigeration were stored safely and managed in line with recommended guidance.
• Clinical records were written clearly and contained accurate information to ensure care and treatment was provided safely.
• Patients were told of the risks and potential complications or side effects before they received treatment.
• The service supported patients to be involved in and make decisions about their care.
• Care and treatment was patient-centred and delivered kindly and compassionately.
• The service had considered the needs of patients which may need reasonable adjustments to access care and treatment.
• Governance systems existed but were not effective in all areas and did not always follow national guidance.

The areas where the provider must make improvements as they are in breach of regulations are:

• Establish effective systems and processes to ensure good governance in accordance with the fundamental standards of care.

(Please see the specific details on action required at the end of this report).

The areas where the provider should make improvements are:

• Review the emergency medicines and equipment stocked and consider increasing those selected so the service is able to better equipped to manage medical emergencies that may occur.
• Align the services’ health screening policy with recommendations in national guidance.
• Review all policies to ensure they contain accurate information and are specific to this service.

Dr Sean O’Kelly BSc MB ChB MSc DCH FRCA

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