Archived: A R Dental

We carried out this announced focused inspection on 14 February 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.
• The practice had infection control procedures which reflected published guidance.
• 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.
• Patients were asked for feedback about the services provided.
• Appropriate medicines and life-saving equipment were not all available as described in nationally recognised guidance.
• Systems to manage the risks associated with the use of hazardous substances, fire and Legionella were not effective.
• Care and treatment were not delivered in line with current guidelines.
• Staff were not all up to date with their required training and were not subject to regular appraisal or performance review.
• Quality assurance processes were not used to improve the quality and safety of the service.

Background

A R Dental is in Cheadle and provides NHS and private dental care and treatment for adults and children.

There are steps to access the premises. The practice has a dedicated car park.

The dental team includes one dentist, one dental nurse (who is also the practice manager) and two receptionists. The practice has one treatment room.

During the inspection we spoke with the dentist, the dental nurse and one receptionist. We looked at practice policies and procedures and other records about how the service is managed.

The practice is open:

Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm

We identified regulations the provider was not complying with. They must:

• Ensure the care and treatment of patients is appropriate, meets their needs and reflects their preferences.
• Ensure care and treatment is provided in a safe way to patients.
• Establish effective systems and processes to ensure good governance in accordance with the fundamental standards of care.

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