The Care Quality Commission
  • Dentist
  • Dentist

Leagrave Dental Sedation Clinic

696 Dunstable Road, Luton, Bedfordshire, LU4 8SE (01582) 494815

Provided and run by:
Leagrave Clinic Limited

All Inspections

13 May 2022

During an inspection looking at part of the service

We carried out this announced focused inspection on 13 May 2022 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 practice was meeting the legal requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated regulations. The inspection was led by a Care Quality Commission, (CQC), inspector who was supported by a specialist dental adviser.

To get to the heart of patients’ experiences of care and treatment, we usually ask five key questions, however due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and to reduce time spent on site, only the following three questions were asked:

• Is it safe?

• Is it effective?

• Is it well-led?

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

Our findings were:

  • The dental clinic appeared to be visibly clean and well-maintained.
  • The practice had infection control procedures which reflected published guidance.
  • Staff knew how to deal with medical emergencies. Appropriate medicines and life-saving equipment were available. However, the process for ensuring that the medicine used to treat low blood sugar (glucagon) was effective needed strengthening.
  • The practice had systems to help them manage risk to patients and staff.
  • Safeguarding processes were in place and staff knew their responsibilities for safeguarding vulnerable adults and children.
  • The practice had staff recruitment procedures which reflected current legislation.
  • The clinical staff provided patients’ care and treatment in line with current guidelines.
  • Patients were treated with dignity and respect and staff took care to protect their privacy and personal information.
  • Staff provided preventive care and supported patients to ensure better oral health.
  • There was effective leadership and a culture of continuous improvement.
  • Staff felt involved and supported and worked as a team.
  • Staff and patients were asked for feedback about the services provided.
  • Complaints were dealt with positively and efficiently.
  • The dental clinic had information governance arrangements.

Background

The provider has one practice, and this report is about Leagrave Dental Sedation Clinic.

Leagrave Dental Sedation Clinic is in Luton and provides private general dental care and treatment for adults and children. The practice has NHS contracts to provide Minor Oral Surgery and Sedation for adults and children.

There is level access to the practice for people who use wheelchairs and those with pushchairs. Car parking spaces are available at the front and the rear of the practice. The practice has made adjustments to support patients with additional needs.

The dental team includes fourteen dentists, a medically qualified sedationist, sixteen dental nurses including four trainee dental nurses, three locum dental nurses, a recovery dental nurse, two dental hygienists, one receptionist, a practice manager and three administrators. The practice has five treatment rooms.

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

The practice is open:

Mondays to Fridays from 8am to 4pm.

Saturdays from 8.30am to 4.30pm.

The practice had taken steps to improve environmental sustainability. For example, the practice had installed motion sensitive lighting in some rooms.

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

  • Implement an effective system for monitoring and recording the fridge temperature to ensure that medicines and dental care products are being stored in line with the manufacturer’s guidance.

  • Take action to ensure audits of radiography are undertaken at regular intervals to improve the quality of the service. Practice should also ensure that, where appropriate, audits have documented learning points and the resulting improvements can be demonstrated.

25 November 2015

During a routine inspection

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 25 November 2015 to ask the practice the following key questions; Are services safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led?

Our findings were:

Are services safe?

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

Background

Leagrave Dental Sedation Clinic has seven dentists and a medically qualified sedationist. There are also nine qualified dental nurses registered with the General Dental Council (GDC) and two dental nurses in training.

Leagrave Dental Sedation Clinic provides a mix of NHS and private dental treatment including conscious sedation, minor oral surgery and the placement of dental implants. The practice has a contract to provide conscious sedation and minor oral surgery services with NHS England and currently provides 2500 episodes of conscious sedation annually.

The premises are housed in a converted and extended domestic property and consist of four general dental treatment rooms and a well-equipped sedation suite where conscious sedation is provided by a medically qualified sedationist. There is a separate decontamination room for sterilising dental instruments, a room housing a specialised X-ray machine and CT scanner. There is also a reception area and waiting rooms on each floor. Two of the dental treatment rooms and the sedation suite were on the ground floor enabling disabled access.

The clinical lead is the registered manager. A registered manager is a person who is registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the practice is run. Supporting the Registered Manager is a practice manager, deputy manager, a senior administration assistant and clinical governance lead, a receptionist administrator and receptionist. The company has a Managing Director and a Clinical Director.

Before the inspection we sent Care Quality Commission comment cards to the practice for patients to complete to tell us about their experience of the practice. We collected 15 completed cards. These provided a very positive view of the services the practice provides. All of the patients commented that the quality of care was very good.

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 25 November 2015 as part of our planned inspection of all dental practices. The inspection was carried out by a lead inspector and a dental specialist adviser.

Our key findings were:

  • We received feedback from 15 patients which was all very positive. Common themes were patients felt they received excellent service from kind and caring staff in a welcoming environment.
  • We observed staff to be very friendly and empathetic to the needs of patients.
  • Staff had been trained to handle emergencies and appropriate medicines and equipment to deal with medical emergencies was available in accordance with current guidelines.
  • Conscious sedation was delivered safely in accordance with current guidelines.
  • Infection control procedures were robust and the practice followed published guidance. The practice was visibly clean and well maintained.
  • All equipment used in the practice was well maintained in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.
  • The practice had effective safeguarding processes in place and staff understood their responsibilities for safeguarding adults and children living in vulnerable circumstances.
  • Staff demonstrated knowledge of the practice’s whistleblowing policy and were confident they would raise a concern about another staff member’s performance if it was necessary.
  • Patients’ needs were assessed and care was planned and delivered in line with current professional guidelines.
  • The practice placed an emphasis on the promotion of good oral health and provided regular oral health instruction to patients.
  • The practice had enough skilled and competent staff to deliver the service safely and effectively.
  • Staff had received training appropriate to their roles and were supported in their continued professional development (CPD).
  • The practice took into account any comments, concerns or complaints and used these to help them improve the practice.
  • There were effective systems in place to assess, monitor and improve the quality of service provided. The practice is a member of the British Dental Association (BDA) Good Practice scheme. This is a quality assurance programme that allows its members to communicate to patients an ongoing commitment to working to standards of good practice on professional and legal responsibilities.
  • There were effective systems in place to assess, monitor and mitigate risks to patients, staff and visitors to the practice.