Keith Burns Associates

We undertook a desk-based review of Keith Burns Associates on 19 August 2020. This review was carried out to consider in detail the actions taken by the registered provider to improve the quality of care and to confirm that the practice was now meeting legal requirements.

The review was led by a CQC inspector.

We undertook a comprehensive inspection of Keith Burns Dental Practice on 11 July 2019 under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. We found the registered provider was not providing safe and well led care and was in breach of regulations 12 and 17 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. You can read our report of that inspection by selecting the 'all reports' link for Keith Burns Associates on our website www.cqc.org.uk.

As part of this inspection we asked:

• Is it safe

• Is it well-led?

When one or more of the five questions are not met we require the service to make improvements and send us an action plan. We then follow up after a reasonable interval, focusing on the areas where improvement was required.

Our findings were:

Are services safe?

We found the practice was providing safe care in accordance with the relevant regulations. The provider had made improvements in relation to the regulatory breach we found at our inspection on 11 July 2019.

Are services well-led?

We found this practice was providing well-led care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

The provider had made improvements in relation to the regulatory breach we found at our inspection on 11 July 2019.

Background

Keith Burns Associates is in City of London and provides private dental treatment to adults.

There is level access for people who use wheelchairs and those with pushchairs. There are transport links near the practice including London Underground and national rail services.

The dental team includes the principal dentist, one associate dentist, one orthodontist, one oral surgeon, two dental nurses, three dental hygienists and a practice manager. The practice has three treatment room.

The practice is owned by an individual who is the principal dentist there. They have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated regulations about how the practice is run.

The practice is open:

• Monday to Thursdays 8.30am – 6.00pm

• Fridays 8.30am – 4.00pm

Our key findings were:

We are mindful of the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on our regulatory function. This meant we took account of the exceptional circumstances arising as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. We will continue to discharge our regulatory enforcement functions required to keep people safe and to hold providers to account where it is necessary for us to do so.

We carried out this announced inspection on 11 July 2019 under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. We planned the inspection to check whether the registered provider was meeting the legal requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated regulations. The inspection was led by a CQC inspector who was supported by a specialist dental adviser.

To get to the heart of patients’ experiences of care and treatment, we always ask the following five questions:

• Is it safe?

• Is it effective?

• Is it caring?

• Is it responsive to people’s needs?

• Is it well-led?

These questions form the framework for the areas we look at during the inspection.

Our findings were:

Are services safe?

We found that this practice was not providing safe care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Are services effective?

We found that this practice was providing effective care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Are services caring?

We found that this practice was providing caring services in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Are services responsive?

We found that this practice was providing responsive care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Are services well-led?

We found that this practice was not providing well-led care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Background

Keith Burns Associates is in the City of London and provides private dental treatment to adults.

There is level access for people who use wheelchairs and those with pushchairs. There are transport links near the practice including London Underground and national rail services.

The dental team includes two dentists, one orthodontist, one oral surgeon, two dental nurses, three dental hygienists, and a practice manager. The practice has three treatment rooms.

The practice is owned by an individual who is the principal dentist there. They have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated regulations about how the practice is run.

On the day of inspection, we collected three CQC comment cards filled in by patients and spoke with three other patients.

During the inspection we spoke with one dentist, both dental nurses and the practice manager. We looked at practice policies and procedures and other records about how the service is managed.

The practice is open: 8.30am-6.00pm Monday to Thursdays and 8.30am-4.00pm Fridays.

Our key findings were:

• The practice appeared clean and well maintained.
• The provider had infection control procedures which reflected published guidance.
• Staff knew how to deal with emergencies. Appropriate medicines and life-saving equipment were available.
• The provider had suitable safeguarding processes and staff knew their responsibilities for safeguarding vulnerable adults and children.
• The provider had staff recruitment procedures.
• The clinical staff provided patients’ care and treatment in line with current guidelines.
• Staff treated patients with dignity and respect and took care to protect their privacy and personal information.
• Staff provided preventive care and supporting patients to ensure better oral health.
• The appointment system took account of patients’ needs.
• Staff felt involved and supported and worked well as a team.
• The provider asked staff and patients for feedback about the services they provided.
• The provider dealt with complaints positively and efficiently.
• The provider did not ensure that facilities and equipment were safe, and that equipment was maintained according to manufacturers’ instructions.
• The practice did not have suitable arrangements to ensure the safety of the X-ray equipment.
• The provider had appropriate information governance arrangements.
• Systems to assess, monitor and manage risks to patient safety required improving. Audits were not undertaken in line with current guidance and legislation.

We identified regulations the provider was not complying with. They must:

• Ensure care and treatment is provided in a safe way to patients
• Establish effective systems and processes to ensure good governance in accordance with the fundamental standards of care.

Full details of the regulation/s the provider was/is not meeting are at the end of this report.

There were areas where the provider could make improvements. They should:

• Review the current staffing arrangements to ensure all dental care professionals are adequately supported by a trained member of the dental team when treating patients in a dental setting.