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Updated 28 September 2022

Some babies are born with the condition tongue-tie, which has the medical name ankyloglossia. The fold of skin under the tongue that connects to the tongue to the bottom of the mouth is shorter than usual, which restricts the movement of the tongue. This can cause problems with breastfeeding and the baby may not gain weight at the normal rate.

Some babies require a surgical intervention in order to release the tongue, which is known as a frenulotomy or frenotomy. Frenulotomy services may be offered by the NHS or independent healthcare professionals such as doctors, dentists or midwives. For treatment on the NHS, parents need a referral from a health visitor, community midwife or GP. Parents can also directly seek advice from private practitioners such as this provider.

The provider is a registered midwife who offers private tongue-tie services to the community in North London. They saw approximately 20-25 babies per month.

The registered manager is a sole trader who provides the regulated activity. This will be their first CQC inspection since registration in 2019. This service is based at the provider's address in North London but for administrative purposes is registered to CQC's Newcastle office.

The service is registered with the CQC to provide the following regulated activity:

• Surgical procedures

Updated 28 September 2022

This was our first inspection of the service. We rated it as good because:

• The registered manager had training in key skills, understood how to protect patients from abuse, and managed safety well. The service controlled infection risk well. The registered manager assessed risks to patients, acted on them and kept good care records. They managed safety incidents well and learned lessons from them.
• The registered manager monitored the effectiveness of the service and made sure they were up to date with competencies. They supported clients to make decisions about their baby’s care and had access to good information. The service was available seven days a week.
• The registered manager treated patients with compassion and kindness, respected their privacy and dignity, took account of their individual needs, and helped them understand their baby’s potential procedure. They provided emotional support to clients.
• The service planned care to meet the needs of local people, took account of patients’ individual needs, and made it easy for people to give feedback. People could access the service when they needed it and did not have to wait too long for treatment.
• The registered manager ran services well using reliable information systems. They were focused on the needs of patients receiving care. The registered manager was clear about their roles and accountabilities. The service engaged well with patients and were committed to improving services.

However:

• The sharps bin was not dated.
• Patients had not been advised that their address would be shared with the providers partner for her personal safety while at their address. However, following the inspection the provider informed us they had updated their privacy policy to include information that they shared their location with a trusted adult for safety as a lone worker.

Updated 28 September 2022