Illuminate Skin Clinics Ltd

On this page

• Overview
• Assessing needs
• Delivering evidence-based care and treatment
• How staff, teams and services work together
• Supporting people to live healthier lives
• Monitoring and improving outcomes
• Consent to care and treatment

We looked for evidence that staff involved people in decisions about their care and treatment and provided them advice and support. Staff regularly reviewed people’s care and worked with other services to achieve this.

This is the first inspection for this service since its registration with CQC. This key question has been rated as Good.

This service scored 71 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

The service made sure people’s care and treatment was effective by assessing and reviewing their health, care, wellbeing and communication needs with them.

Feedback from people using the service was positive. People felt involved in any assessment of their needs and felt confident that staff understood their individual and cultural needs.

Reception staff used digital flags within the care records system to highlight specific individual needs, such as the requirement for longer appointments or for a translator to be present. Staff checked people’s health, care, and wellbeing needs during consultations.

The service planned and delivered people’s care and treatment with them, including what was important and mattered to them. They did this in line with legislation and current evidence-based good practice and standards.

Systems were in place to ensure staff were up to date with evidence-based guidance and legislation. Clinical records demonstrated care was not always provided in line with current guidance for patients receiving hay fever injections. For example, where off label medicines were prescribed (meaning the person prescribing the medicine is using it in a different way than that stated in its licence). The provider has now updated patient information and consent forms, to ensure patients were made aware of all risks associated with this.

The service worked well across teams and services to support people. They made sure people only needed to tell their story once by sharing their assessment of needs when people moved between different services.

Staff had access to the information they needed to appropriately assess, plan, and deliver people’s care, treatment, and support. The service worked with other services to ensure continuity of care.

The service supported people to manage their health and wellbeing to maximise their independence, choice and control. The service supported people to live healthier lives and where possible, reduce their future needs for care and support.

Where appropriate, staff gave patients advice so they could self-care. Risk factors were identified, highlighted to patients and where appropriate highlighted to their normal care provider for additional support. For example, as routine, the provider advised patients on the harmful effects of excessive sunlight (ultraviolet UV) on skin and the links between this and skin cancers. Where patients’ needs could not be met by the service, staff redirected them to the appropriate service for their needs.

The service routinely monitored people’s care and treatment to continuously improve it. They ensured that outcomes were positive and consistent, and that they met both clinical expectations and the expectations of people themselves.

The service provided cervical screening and immunisations. From the clinical notes we reviewed, we found that uptake for these were low. People who used the service experienced positive outcomes as set out in legislation, standards, and evidence-based clinical guidance.

The service told people about their rights around consent and respected these when delivering person-centred care and treatment.

Staff understood and applied legislation relating to consent. Capacity and consent were clearly recorded. Consent forms had been updated to reflect that patients were informed when medicines were being prescribed off label (for hayfever).