Rochdale cosmetic surgery criticised amid staff concerns

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External view of Signature Clinic Manchester in RochdaleImage source, Google
Image caption,

The clinic carried out more than 1,700 procedures in just under a year

A cosmetic surgery clinic in Greater Manchester has been rated inadequate amid concerns its staff were not adequately qualified.

The inspection, external came after concerns were raised about Signature Clinic Manchester in Rochdale.

Inspectors found the service did not have enough staff with the right qualifications to keep patients safe and provide the right treatment.

The clinic has been asked by the BBC to comment.

The independent hospital is operated by Signature Medical Limited.

Between July 2022 and June, it carried out more than 1,700 cosmetic surgery procedures, the Care Quality Commission watchdog said.

As well as dropping from a good rating to inadequate overall, the clinic has also gone from good to inadequate in the category of "being safe, effective and well-led".

It has been downgraded to "requires improvement" in being responsive, but remains good at caring.

'Lack of focus'

The CQC issued the clinic with two warning notices after identifying safety concerns during the unannounced inspection in July.

Inspectors also found staff did not manage safety incidents well and there was limited learning from incidents.

The CQC also said it did not always control infection risk well and staff did not assess risks to patients or act on them or manage medicines well.

Managers did not fully monitor the effectiveness of the service or make sure staff were competent, while there was a lack of focus on quality improvement.

The report did note staff "provided good care" and "treated patients with compassion and kindness, respected their privacy and dignity, took account of their individual needs and helped them understand their conditions".

Staff also "worked together for the benefit of patients", inspectors said.

The watchdog said it will continue to monitor the clinic and return to carry out another inspection to ensure people are receiving safe care.

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