Weston Park Dental Surgeons

We carried out this announced focused inspection on 10 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 provider 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 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 was visibly clean and well-maintained.
• The practice had staff recruitment procedures which reflected current legislation.
• The practice had infection control procedures which reflected published guidance. However, improvements were needed to ensure the effectiveness of the decontamination process.
• Staff had undertaken appropriate training in safeguarding vulnerable adults and children.
• The clinical staff provided patients’ care and treatment in line with current guidelines; however, improvements were needed to ensure that information related to patient care was suitably recorded within the dental care records.
• Emergency medicines and life-saving equipment were available as per national guidance; however, the equipment was not regularly checked to ensure that it was in date and suitable for use. Following our inspection, the provider replaced the out of date equipment.
• Not all members of staff had received annual medical emergency training.
• The practice had some systems to help them assess and manage risk. However, there was scope to improve these in order to align them with current guidance and legislation.
• The provider did not have effective governance systems to monitor the day to day running of the practice.

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 withthe fundamental standards of care.

Furthermore, there were areas where the provider could make improvements. They should:

• Implement audits for prescribing of antibiotic medicines taking into account the guidance provided by the College of General Dentistry.
• Improve the security of NHS prescription pads in the practice and ensure there are systems in place to track and monitor their use.

Background

Weston Park Dental Surgeons is in Crouch End, in the London Borough of Haringey, and provides NHS and private dental care and treatment for adults and children.

There is ramp access into the building for people who use wheelchairs or those with pushchairs. Car parking spaces, including dedicated parking for people with disabilities, are available near the practice.

The dental team includes six dentists, five dental nurses and two hygienists. They are supported by a practice manager and a receptionist. The practice has six treatment rooms and a separate decontamination room.

During the inspection we spoke with two dentists, the practice manager, an agency dental nurse and a dental nurse. We looked at practice policies and procedures and other records about how the service is managed.

The practice is open:

Monday to Friday from 8.45am to 5.45pm.

Saturday from 9am to 1.30pm.