Leeds-based aesthetics clinic makes six figure investment to achieve ‘highest standard’ in customer safety

Evolve Medical, based in Pudsey, has a team made up of qualified consultants, GPs, nurses and beauty therapists – headed by registered nurse Rachel Green, inset, who has over 20 years of experience.

Speaking on the CQC registration, Ms Green said: “Ultimately, it’s all about the safety of patients. We want to provide an accessible service, but of the highest standard which CQC immediately demonstrates. I strongly believe that injectables should be brought under the regulations of CQC, to ensure the standards of patient safety.

“If the industry was regulated with CQC then standards would be the same across the UK, and so create a safer consumer experience stopping non-medical, non-qualified practitioners which would be a significant turning point for the industry. With no industry standards for aesthetic practitioners as well as clinics, how can safety be guaranteed?”

At present, a significant area of the aesthetics field is not regulated. Councils regulate tattooing but not injectables, which when performed incorrectly, can cause significant harm to patients.

Ms Green added: “As a nurse or doctor, to be able to carry out treatments such as thread lifts you must be regulated by CQC. However, if you aren’t medical then you don’t – so in theory you could just practise from your own bedroom.

“By becoming CQC registered we are making a commitment to being a safe, responsible and well-led clinic which puts its patients first.”

To achieve its ‘Good’ rating from CQC, Evolve Medical invested in new equipment and training for its staff.

All staff received additional mandatory training and the clinic made official a commitment to using regulated products, which at the volumes used costs an additional £180,000 per year for filler alone. The firm said that the cost without CQC could be much cheaper due to it not needing approval from FDA.

All products that the clinic uses are sourced and prescribed by regulated pharmacies, whereas unregulated practitioners are able to source freely online. Ms Green also travelled to Geneva to visit the sites where the products are made, to see the quality and care in production for herself.

The CQC report on Evolve Medical highlighted key points such as staff treating patients with kindness, respect and compassion, and staff helping patients to be involved in decisions about care and treatment.

The report also said that the service from Evolve Medical respected patients’ privacy and dignity.

The only higher standard than ‘Good’ on the CQC rating system is ‘Outstanding’. Evolve Medical’s current standard is described on the CQC website as ”performing well and meeting our expectations”.