Sycamore House Dental Practice

We carried out this announced comprehensive inspection on 21 April 2023 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 advisor.

To get to the heart of patients’ experiences of care and treatment, we always ask the following 5 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.

• The dental clinic appeared clean and well-maintained.
• The practice had infection control procedures which reflected published guidance.
• Staff knew how to deal with medical emergencies. Not all medical equipment was available. The provider took immediate action to replace missing items.
• Auditing and risk management systems within the practice were not effective in driving improvement.
• 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. Not all recruitment information was available for review.
• Clinical staff provided patients’ care and treatment in line with current guidelines.
• Patients were treated with dignity and respect. Staff took care to protect patients’ privacy and personal information.
• Staff provided preventive care and supported patients to ensure better oral health.
• The appointment system worked efficiently to respond to patients’ needs.
• The frequency of appointments was agreed between the dentist and the patient, giving due regard to National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines.
• There was effective leadership and a culture of continuous improvement.
• Staff felt involved, supported and worked as a team. Ad hoc team meetings were not documented.
• Staff and patients were asked for feedback about the services provided.
• Complaints were dealt with positively and efficiently.
• The practice had information governance arrangements.

Background

Sycamore House Dental Practice is in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk and provides private dental care and treatment for adults and children.

There is step free access to the practice for people who use wheelchairs and those with pushchairs. Car parking spaces, including dedicated parking for disabled people, are available outside and near the practice. The practice has made reasonable adjustments to support patients with additional needs. These include level access, ground floor treatment rooms, an accessible toilet and a stair lift to the first floor.

The dental team includes 5 dentists, 4 dental nurses including 1 trainee dental nurse, 2 dental hygienists, 1 receptionist, 1 cleaner, 1 external administrator who supports the practice governance and 2 practice managers. In addition, the practice team includes 1 social media and 1 marketing administrator. The practice has 4 treatment rooms.

During the inspection we spoke with 2 dentists, 3 dental nurses including the trainee dental nurse and 1 receptionist. We looked at practice policies, procedures and other records to assess how the service is managed.

The practice is open:

Monday to Thursday from 9am to 5pm and Friday from 9am to 1.30pm.

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

• Take action to ensure audits of antimicrobial prescribing are undertaken at regular intervals to improve the quality of the service. The practice should also ensure that, where appropriate, audits of radiography, infection prevention and control and record keeping have documented learning points and the resulting improvements can be demonstrated.
• Implement an effective system of checks of medical emergency equipment and medicines taking into account the guidelines issued by the Resuscitation Council (UK).