Baker Street Dental Practice

We carried out this announced comprehensive inspection on 26 May 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.

Our findings were:

• 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. Appropriate medicines and most life-saving equipment were available. Missing sizes of face masks were ordered immediately.
• Safeguarding processes were in place and staff knew their responsibilities for safeguarding vulnerable adults and children.
• The practice had staff recruitment procedures which mostly reflected current legislation.
• 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.
• Staff felt involved, supported and worked as a team.
• Staff and patients were asked for feedback about the services provided.
• Complaints were dealt with positively and efficiently.
• The practice had information governance arrangements.
• The practice had systems to manage risks for patients, staff, equipment and the premises.
• Improvements could be made in assessing and mitigating risks in relation to lone working and prescription management.

Background

Baker Street Dental Practice is in Potters Bar, Hertfordshire and provides NHS and 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 near the practice. The practice has made reasonable adjustments to support patients with access requirements.

The dental team includes 2 dentists, 2 dental nurses, 1 of whom also works on reception, 1 trainee dental nurse, 2 dental hygienists, and the practice manager. A sedationist visits the practice to provide conscious sedation. The practice has 3 treatment rooms.

During the inspection we spoke with 2 dentists, 2 dental nurses, and the practice manager. We looked at practice policies, procedures and other records to assess how the service is managed.

The practice is open:

Monday to Friday from 8am to 6pm

Alternate Saturdays from 8am to 1pm.

The practice had taken steps to improve environmental sustainability by using digital X-ray systems to reduce the amount of radiation released into the environment and had digitalised patient care records.

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

• Take action to ensure that all the staff have received training, to an appropriate level, in the safeguarding of children and vulnerable adults.
• Take action to ensure audits of infection prevention and control are undertaken at regular intervals to improve the quality of the service.
• Improve the practice's recruitment procedures to ensure accurate, complete and detailed records are maintained for all staff. In particular, ensuring all staff have satisfactory evidence of conduct in previous employment (references).