Elixir Treatments Limited

On this page

• Overview
• Shared direction and culture
• Capable, compassionate and inclusive leaders
• Freedom to speak up
• Workforce equality, diversity and inclusion
• Governance, management and sustainability
• Partnerships and communities
• Learning, improvement and innovation

The provider had implemented and sustained new processes to govern prescription stationery, and patient safety and medicine alerts. We also saw the provider had commenced a programme of clinical audit to identify and drive improvements in quality and outcomes for patients. These actions were now ensuring that requirements relating to good governance were now being met. The ‘Well-Led’ key question is now rated as Good.

This service scored 75 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

Elixir Treatments Limited is a nurse led service, the CQC registered manager was responsible for all administration and management duties and delivering clinical services. They told us they were proud of the achievements made and the direction the service was going. They also told us how the strategy and direction of the service aligned to changes within the aesthetic medicines sector with a commitment to system-wide collaboration and leadership.

The direction and culture of the service had been developed from the vision and values of the registered manager, their passion for the sector and the relationships they had built with patients. The service aimed to be open, relaxed, friendly whilst professional, focusing on the needs of patients; we were told the service always put the patient’s best interest before any financial consideration. This was evident through our discussion with the registered manager and the patient feedback we reviewed.

There were processes in place to ensure the registered manager remained appropriately qualified and knowledgeable to run the service in the aesthetic medicine sector. For example, they had extensive additional qualifications in aesthetic medicine and received ongoing training appropriate and relevant to their role. This included membership of different dermatology bodies and societies, for ongoing training, development and peer support. They were also registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) and were up to date with revalidation. This meant they met regulatory standards and were subject to revalidation of their registration to ensure the delivery of safe and effective care and treatment to patients.

The registered manager understood the context in which they delivered care, treatment and support and embodied the values of their service. They spoke with integrity and demonstrated they had the skills and abilities to run the service. They had a deep understanding of issues, challenges and priorities within the aesthetic sector, and beyond. They understood national and local changes and challenges, including changes within the medical aesthetic sector, changes within regulation of medical aesthetics and recent significant increase in other services offering similar treatments.

Whilst the size and scope of the service, did not merit specific freedom to speak up processes, we saw there were processes to raise concerns externally if ever required. For example, there were processes in place to report suspected problems using the Yellow Card system. The Yellow Card system is used for recording adverse incidents with medicines and medical devices in the UK.

The registered manager spoke with openness, honesty and transparency. They shared their awareness and compliance with the requirements of the Duty of Candour.

Whilst there was only 1 member of staff (the registered manager), the service promoted equality and diversity. We saw they had received equality and diversity training.

Elixir Treatments Limited is a nurse led service, the registered manager was responsible for all administration and management duties and delivering all clinical services. Whilst there were no other staff working at the service, the registered manager told us how the service promoted equality and diversity.

Regulated activities were provided by 1 clinician, they were conscious their work and reviews needed objectivity. As a result, they told us and we saw how they accessed regular peer support from colleagues within the sector.

We saw the governance arrangements were appropriate to the range of services provided and the person who delivered these services. The service had strengthened internal processes to improve the overall governance of the service. For example: The process to manage prescription stationery was now in line with national guidance. The service no longer used paper prescriptions and implemented electronic prescribing. The electronic prescribing and e-prescription processes included individual tracking numbers to allow the service to track and monitor all prescriptions. The service had strengthened the existing process to manage patient safety alerts. There was a system for receiving weekly safety alerts, such as those relating to the use of medicines. The registered manager received the alerts and assessed whether they were relevant to the service and acted upon them when necessary. Whilst most alerts were not applicable to the treatments provided at Elixir, we saw the service had acted upon a recent alert (January 2024) regarding the shortage of GLP-1 receptor agonists (the medicine used within the weight loss treatment). The new process also allowed the service to manage any potential risk to patient’s safety effectively and provided an oversight of patients that may be affected by alerts. Quality improvement processes had been introduced and embedded to identify and drive improvements in quality and outcomes for patients. For example, at the time of the January 2023 inspection, the low number of patients impacted the effectiveness of clinical audit. At our assessment in May 2024, after an increase in patients using the service, this enabled both retrospective and live clinical audits of the patients undergoing medical off license weight loss treatment. We saw the findings from the audit enabled the service to track, monitor and review outcomes against agreed clinical standards.

Given the size and scope of the service, we could not collect evidence to score this evidence category.

There were processes to support the service to collaborate and work in partnership with the sector. For example: The registered manager was a certified member and Registered Practitioner with the Aesthetic Complications Expert (ACE) Group. They were also a member of the British Association of Cosmetic Nurses (BACN) and attended courses and training arranged by the BACN to keep up to date with innovations and changes to care and treatment. They used these networks to identify new or innovative ideas that can lead to better outcomes for people.

The registered manager told us about the importance of building relationships with patients and delivering bespoke individual treatment plans, built around the patient. The service aimed to be open, relaxed, friendly whilst professional, focusing on the needs of patients; staff told us they always put the patient’s best interest before any financial consideration. This was evident through our discussions with the registered manager.

Whilst completing this assessment, we reviewed patient feedback, and peoples experience of the service. Several patients highlighted how they (the patient) worked in partnership with the service to achieve the best outcomes and results. This was achieved through use of bespoke consultations and open dialogue between the service and the patient.

The registered manger told us how they monitored and reviewed their activity and other activity within the aesthetic sector. This helped it to understand risks and gave a clear, accurate and current picture that led to safety improvements and innovation.

Throughout the assessment, there was evidence of systems and processes for learning, continuous improvement and innovation. Furthermore, there was a willingness to review new treatments and introduce them into the service. For example, at the time of our May 2024 assessment, the service was considering and reviewing the potential provision of Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) injections. PRP injections are a treatment which uses patients own blood cells to accelerate healing in various conditions, such as joint injuries, hair loss and cosmetic procedures.