Updated 27 May 2022
We undertook a follow up focused inspection of Far Cotton Dental Practice on 7 April 2022. This inspection was carried out to review 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 inspection was led by a CQC inspector who was supported by a specialist dental adviser.
We undertook a comprehensive inspection of Far Cotton Dental Practice on 21 October 2021 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 or well-led care and was in breach of regulation 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 Far Cotton Dental Practice 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 inspect again after a reasonable interval, focusing on the area where improvement was required.
Our findings were:
Are services safe?
We found this practice was providing safe care in accordance with the relevant regulations.
The provider had made improvements in relation to the regulatory breaches we found at our inspection on 21 October 2021.
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 breaches we found at our inspection on 21 October 2021.
Background
Far Cotton Dental Practice is in Northampton and provides NHS and private dental care and treatment for adults and children.
There is level access to the practice for people who use wheelchairs and those with pushchairs. The reception and waiting areas are up a steep flight of stairs. The practice is located on a busy road so is unable to provide car parking spaces. The practice does not have access to a hearing loop for people experiencing hearing difficulties.
The dental team includes one dentist, a practice manager and two dental nurses, one of whom also works as the receptionist. The practice has two 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.
During the inspection we spoke with one dentist, two 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:
Monday from 9am to 6pm.
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday from 9am to 5.30pm.
Friday from 9am to 2pm.
Our key findings were:
We found this practice was providing safe and well-led care in accordance with the relevant regulations. The provider had made good improvements in relation to the regulatory breaches we found at our previous inspection. These must now be embedded in the practice and sustained in the long-term.
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 taking into account guidelines issued by the British Endodontic Society.
- Review the practice's protocols for completion of dental care records taking into account the guidance provided by the College of General Dentistry.