We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 25 October 2018 to ask the service the following key questions; Are services safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led?

Our findings were:

Are services safe?

We found that this service was providing safe care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Are services effective?

We found that this service was providing effective care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Are services caring?

We found that this service was providing caring services in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Are services responsive?

We found that this service was providing responsive care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Are services well-led?

We found that this service was providing well-led care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the service was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

The Bodyline Clinic Ltd is a private clinic which has been open and registered with the CQC since June 2018.The clinic is open on Thursdays from 4:30pm until 7:30pm, and Sundays from 11:00 am until 2:00pm. The premises included a reception area, two consulting rooms and an office situated on the ground floor. There is a clinic manager and two nurses who carry out patient consultations. One of the nurses is also the registered manager.  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.

We reviewed 18 CQC comment cards completed prior to our inspection and spoke to four people during the inspection. The majority of the comments from the cards and all in person were very positive. Patients told us that staff were professional and informative. The clinic environment was described as clean, tidy and welcoming.

Our key findings were:

• The premises were clean, tidy and appropriate for the service being provided.
• Medicines were used safely and appropriately.
• Staff were consistent and proactive in empowering patients, and supporting them to manage their own health.
• Staff treated patients with kindness, respect and compassion.
• The service had a clear vision and a realistic strategy which staff were aware of and understood, including their role in achieving it.
• There were detailed policies and procedures covering the clinic activities which were regularly reviewed and updated at staff meetings.

There were areas where the provider could make improvements and should:

• Review their current process in the event of patient transfer from another clinic, to ensure all prescribers have access to the information they require to continue to deliver safe treatment.

• Review their systems for sharing information and to ensure the clinic retains all copies of letters sent to the patient’s GPs informing them, that they had sought advice and support in managing their weight.
• Review the medicine storage policy to include cold storage temperature management.
• Only supply unlicensed medicines against valid special clinical needs of an individual patient where there is no suitable licensed medicine available.

Professor Steve Field CBE FRCP FFPH FRCGP Chief Inspector of General Practice.