We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 27 June 2017 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 not providing well-led care in accordance with the relevant regulations

Background ​

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.

National Slimming and Cosmetics Clinic Northampton provides a private weight reduction service for adults and supplies medicines and dietary advice to the patients who use the service. The service operates from a first floor clinic in Northampton town centre. It is open from 10.30am to 6pm on Tuesdays, 9am to 2pm on Fridays and 9am to 1pm on Saturdays.

National Slimming and Cosmetics Clinic (NSCC) Northampton is one of 27 NSCC clinics across the UK. The service was staffed by two female doctors, one available at each session, a manager and a receptionist. The manager was 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 a legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated regulations about how the service is run.

We collected feedback about the service from nine patients through comment cards and speaking to patients during the inspection. Patients said the service was helpful and friendly and that staff gave good advice.

This service is registered with CQC under the Health and Social Care Act 2008 in respect of the provision of advice or treatment by, or under the supervision of, a medical practitioner, including the prescribing of medicines for the purposes of weight reduction. At NSCC Northampton, the aesthetic cosmetic treatments that are also provided are exempt by law from CQC regulation. Therefore we were only able to inspect the treatment for weight reduction but not the aesthetic cosmetic services.

Our key findings were:

• Prescribing was in line with an agreed clinical protocol and comprehensive records were maintained
• Staff were trained in safeguarding vulnerable adults and aware of their responsibities
• The premises were suitably equipped, and were clean and welcoming
• Patients were provided with a range of information on diet, excercies and any medicines that were prescribed
• Patients told us that staff were kind, helpful and supportive

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

• Review risk assessments regarding the need for chaperones and ensure that if they continue to offer the service, staff are appropriately trained.
• Review risk assessments with regard to medical emergencies
• Review the need for a suitably qualified safeguarding lead
• Review the process for recording the checks made prior to employing staff
• Review the process for recording medicines so that stock discrepancies are not recorded as disposed of when this is not the case, and bottles containing different numbers of tablets are not totalled together.
• Only supply unlicensed medicines against valid special clinical needs of an individual patient where there is no suitable licensed medicine available