VL Aesthetics

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? – Outstanding

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at VL Aesthetics as part of our inspection programme.

VL Aesthetics provides aesthetic treatments such as the diagnosis and treatment of skin conditions like acne and rosacea, and minor surgical interventions. 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. VL Aesthetics provides a range of non-surgical cosmetic interventions, for example massage and laser hair removal, which are not within CQC scope of registration. Therefore, we did not inspect or report on these services.

Our key findings were:

• There were systems and processes in place to ensure that care was delivered safely
• The service was proactive in empowering patients, and supporting them to manage their own health and maximise their independence
• Staff displayed an understanding and non-judgmental attitude to all patients
• The service had received very positive feedback from patients about the care they had received
• Access to care was timely
• Leaders had the capacity and skills to deliver high-quality, sustainable care
• There was a strong focus on continuous learning and improvement

We saw the following outstanding practice:

• The service manager and medical lead carried out health promotion webinars on social media which were open to both patients and the general public. During lockdown, the number of webinars had increased and the focus had been shifted to discuss topics such as stress management, the importance of exercise, and emotional wellbeing, in order to support people who may have felt isolated at that time. The service also carried out “wellbeing checks” with patients over the phone during lockdown.
• The service had changed their treatment of skin conditions such as acne and rosacea to remove the need to prescribe antibiotics. As a result, since January seven patients had been treated without the use of antibiotics. This was important as there is a drive to reduce antibiotic use in healthcare in order to lower the prevalence of antibiotic-resistant infections.
• The service worked with a domestic violence charity to raise awareness and offer support to anyone affected by this. They donated wellbeing treatments to the charity which were then offered to people affected by domestic violence to help support their physical and mental wellbeing.

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