A Liverpool hair transplant clinic failed to manage infection and dispose of medicines efficiently according to a damning inspection by health officials.
Liverpool Skin Clinic did not always adhere to its own infection and sharps policy and did not manage clinical waste well as per a wide ranging and critical report by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) which undertook unannounced inspections in December 2022 and January earlier this year. As a result of its findings, the clinic has been deemed to be inadequate and ordered to make a raft of changes.
Liverpool Skin Clinic is operated by Liverpool Skin Clinic Limited. The service is based in Mossley Hill, Liverpool and provides hair transplant cosmetic surgery and platelet-rich plasma hair restoration therapy for private fee-paying adults.
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The CQC findings said the service “did not always control infection risk well and did not have a process to monitor surgical site infections.” It added how staff did not ensure equipment was maintained to keep people safe and did not manage clinical waste well.
It was identified how none of the staff at the clinic had valid first aid training at the time of the unannounced inspections. Regarding its infection control and sharps policy, the CQC said this was not always followed.
The report said: “For example, the storeroom was cluttered and not well organised. The policy stated that products and supplies should be used within the expiry date.
“We looked at storage for supplies and found a small number of sterile swabs, dressings and infiltration tubing were past expiry dates. In one of the treatment rooms there were some syringes for needles past the expiry date.”
In addition, no evidence was found to confirm regular audits were taking place for the management and monitoring of infection control, unwanted medicines were not disposed of in accordance with regulations and the service did not evidence how they met cosmetic surgery standards published by the Royal College of Surgeons. The report was also scathing of management.
It said: “Leaders did not demonstrate the necessary skills and abilities to run the service. “They did not always understand and manage priorities and issues the service faced.”
Despite the shortcomings identified, inspectors said the equipment and the premises were visibly clean with no dust present. Flooring was tiled throughout the clinic and chairs were easily wipeable.
The report added: “Staff told us that the clinic was cleaned regularly by a cleaner and the service had a daily cleaning checklist that outlined what should be cleaned. The service provided evidence that the checklist had recently been completed and showed dates and the areas cleaned.
“Staff told us that they cleaned treatment areas before and after each procedure and followed a treatment room daily cleaning and disinfection schedule.” The ECHO contacted the Liverpool Skin Clinic for comment but a spokesperson was unavailable.
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