Cosmetic clinic that secretly filmed patients is ‘not safe’, watchdog finds

A cosmetic and weight loss clinic that secretly filmed patients is “not safe”, the health watchdog has found as it put the provider in special measures to protect the public.

A damning report from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) found that Doncaster-based Elements Medical was inadequate in every area it inspected in October, concluding it was “not safe”, “not effective” and “not well led”.

The clinic, which also operates online as The Virtual Slimming Clinic, offers services including weight management, pre and postoperative care for cosmetic and bariatric surgery, treatments for skin conditions including acne, and vitamin injections, the CQC said on Friday.

Among the long list of concerns, the report said: “We saw that people were covertly filmed at the premises including while receiving treatment, without their knowledge or consent.

“In addition, the provider told us that the closed-circuit television monitoring (CCTV) was monitored and managed by a third-party provider which posed a safeguarding risk.”

The report said: “Staff told us this medicine had been imported from Turkey, and we found labels on the medicine were not in English, however, the provider did not have a licence to import any medicines to England.

“Turkey is also not an approved country for the purposes of supplying medicines for use in England by the Medicines Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).”

The report continued: “We also found the provider was using this injection in place of Botox, however, people using the service had not been informed of this.

“We saw evidence that vials which were meant for single use only were being shared between multiple patients, which posed a significant infection risk.”

The inspectors also said that the firm bought the dilutant Bacteriostatic sodium chloride 0.9% from a website which said: “All products listed on this website are for research purposes only, we do not advocate or advise human use, and any such use is entirely at your own risk.”

They pointed to a series of other safety concerns, including obstructed fire exits, “lit candles in clinic and waiting rooms which were unattended for significant periods of time”, unsafely stored oxygen, and a defibrillator with no pads which left it “not usable in the event of an emergency”.

The report concluded that the provider showed “a disregard for the safety of staff and people using the service and staff, confidentiality, and information security”.

It said: “The CQC assessment team did not feel that all staff, including the provider, acted with openness, honesty and transparency during the inspection visit.

“There was a disregard for the duty of candour. Where people had been placed at significant risk of harm by the service, we saw no evidence that they had been informed of this.”

The CQC said it did not inspect how caring or responsive the service was, as it focused on the areas of concern, and these areas both remain rated as good from the previous inspection.

Being placed in special measures means the service will be kept under close review by CQC, the watchdog said.

Alan Stephenson, CQC deputy director of operations in the north, said: “When we inspected Elements Medical, we had serious concerns about the safety of the service and how it was being managed, to ensure people were getting the service and treatment they deserve.

“We identified widespread shortfalls including people’s understanding of procedures and their consent to them, and how the service kept people safe from abuse.

“Staff lacked basic knowledge of safeguarding procedures, including how to report concerns, and the service secretly filmed people during treatment without consent.”

Mr Stephenson said: “We have told Elements Medical where we expect to see rapid and widespread improvements and will continue to monitor them closely to keep people safe while this happens.

“We will return to check on their progress and won’t hesitate to take further action if people are not receiving the care they have a right to expect.”

The report will be published on CQC’s website in the next few days.

Elements Medical owner Sandy Green said: “On behalf of everyone at Elements Medical Ltd, I want to sincerely apologise for the shortcomings identified and reassure all our clients – past, present, and future – of our unwavering commitment to patient care, safety, and the continuous improvement of the services we provide.”

Ms Green said she fully accepted the findings, adding: “The feedback has been both sobering and instructive, and we are resolute in our determination to learn from it.”

She said the firm has undertaken extensive work to address the concerns “to ensure that similar issues never occur again” and pledged to work with the CQC.

Ms Green said: “This is a defining moment for us as an organisation, and we are determined to rebuild the trust of our clients by demonstrating meaningful change.

“We sincerely thank our patients for their understanding as we move forward on this journey of reflection, growth, and transformation.”