Yorkshire weight loss clinic that secretly filmed patients is 'not safe', watchdog warns

Inspectors from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) visited Elements Medical in October, with its findings released today as they rate it inadequate.

Concerns had initially been raised about medicines management, but inspectors have outlined seven breaches around dignity and respect, safe care and safeguarding.

They also highlighted consent, noting that continuous CCTV – which was also in clinical rooms – was outsourced to a third-party company for monitoring without people knowing.

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."

The independent clinic, run by Elements Medical Ltd, offers medical services and weight management services online under the name The Virtual Slimming Clinic.

It also offers some non-regulated aesthetic services, such as acne treatments, vitamin injections, and pre-and-post-operative care for cosmetic and bariatric surgery.

The service overall has now seen its rating drop from good to inadequate, while it has also been rated inadequate for being safe and well-led, and for its effectiveness. In a brutal summary, the report found seven breaches of regulations relating to dignity and respect, safe care and treatment, safeguarding people from abuse and improper treatment, staffing, staff being suitably employed, need for consent and good governance.

Mr Stephenson said serious fire safety risks were found, with all fire extinguishers stored in an inaccessible top floor room, and a fire alarm that hadn't been serviced since 2021.

"This put people at risk if there was a fire," he said. Some of the medicines prescribed by staff were unlicensed, he added.

"Staff told us some medicine had been imported from Turkey, however the service didn’t have a licence to import medicines from this country, and Turkey isn’t an approved country for supplying medicines for use in England."

Under special measures, the service will be kept under close review. 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.”