Springs Dental Studio Also known as Anitha Bangaru & Sergei Sonwabo Mda

We carried out this unannounced inspection on 8 December 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.

We told the NHS England area team and Healthwatch that we were inspecting the practice. We did not receive any information of concern from them.

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

• Is it safe?

• 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 providing safe 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

Springs Dental Studio is in Darlington and provides NHS and private treatment to adults and children.

There is level access for people who use wheelchairs and pushchairs. Car parking spaces, including for patients with disabled badges, are available near the practice.

The dental team includes two practice owners, two dentists, four dental nurses, two dental hygienists and a receptionist.

The practice has three surgeries. Two on the ground floor and one on the first floor, a decontamination room for sterilising dental instruments, a staff room/kitchen and a general office.

The practice is owned by a partnership and as a condition of registration must have a person registered with the Care Quality Commission as the registered manager. Registered managers 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 registered manager at Springs Dental Studio was one of the partners.

During the inspection we spoke with a dentist, two dental nurses, a dental hygienist, a receptionist and one of the practice owners. We looked at practice policies and procedures and other records about how the service is managed.

The practice is open:

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday 9am -5:30pm

Thursday 9am – 5pm

Saturdays for private patients 9am -12pm.

Our key findings were:

• The practice was generally clean and well maintained.
• The practice had infection control procedures which did not reflect published guidance.
• Staff knew how to deal with emergencies. The practice did not have all of the appropriate medicines and life-saving equipment available. We found some equipment had expired and not been disposed of.
• The practice had some systems to help them manage risk.
• The practice staff were not fully aware of their responsibility with regards reporting and sharing information of concern, including safeguarding.
• The practice did not have thorough staff recruitment procedures.
• The practice was not registered to receive medical device alerts from Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Authority (MHRA).
• The practice did not have effective leadership.

We identified regulations the provider was not meeting. They must:

• Establish effective systems and processes to ensure good governance in accordance with the fundamental standards of care.
• Ensure recruitment procedures are established and operated effectively to ensure only fit and proper persons are employed.

Full details of the regulations the provider was not meeting are at the end of this report.

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

• Review the practice’s protocols for the use of rubber dam for root canal treatment giving due regard to guidelines issued by the British Endodontic Society.