Maldent Dental Practice

We carried out this announced inspection on 22 July 2021 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 are three of the five questions that form the framework for the areas we look at during the inspection.

Our findings were:

Are services safe?

We found this practice was providing safe care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Are services effective?

We found this practice was providing effective care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Are services well-led?

We found this practice was providing well-led care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Background

Maldent Dental Practice is in the London borough of Camden and provides predominantly NHS and some private dental treatment to adults and children. NHS services are provided under a General Dental Services (GDS) contract with NHS England (GDS is one of the two contracting routes that have been made available to NHS dentists). The practice is an appointed training practice offering dental foundation training to newly qualified dentists under the supervision of the principal dentist who is the Education Supervisor.

The provider is registered as an individual with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to provide the regulated activities of treatment of disease, disorder or injury, surgical procedures and diagnostic and screening procedures from one location – 34 Malden Road, NW5 3HH. Additionally, 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.

The building from which services are delivered consists of three floors, including a basement, ground floor, first and second floor. There are four treatment rooms- one in the basement, two on the first floor and one on the ground floor. In addition, there is a separate decontamination room and x-ray area, staff area, toilet, bathroom and a storeroom. At the time of inspection, the second floor was undergoing refurbishment and would be used as an educational suite and staff meeting area.

The practice is accessible by Transport for London underground and bus services and is within easy access to local amenities. Paid and unpaid parking spaces are available near the practice.

The dental team is made up of the principal dentist, two associate dentists, two foundation dentists (FTs), a visiting specialist in dental implants, three dental nurses-one of whom is the lead nurse and two reception staff. They are supported by an operational manager who works for a dental support/compliance organisation.

The practice is open between 9.30am and 5.30pm Monday to Thursday and 9.30am to 2pm on Friday. During out of hours, patients are advised to contact the NHS 111 service in an emergency.

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

Our key findings were:

• The practice appeared to be visibly clean and well-maintained.
• The provider had infection control procedures which reflected published guidance.
• Staff knew how to deal with emergencies. Appropriate medicines and life-saving equipment were available.
• The provider had systems to help them manage risk to patients and staff.
• The provider had safeguarding processes and staff knew their responsibilities for safeguarding vulnerable adults and children.
• The provider had staff recruitment procedures which reflected current legislation.
• The clinical staff provided patients’ care and treatment in line with current guidelines.
• Staff treated patients with dignity and respect and took care to protect their privacy and personal information.
• Staff provided preventive care and supported patients to ensure better oral health.
• Staff felt involved and supported and worked as a team.
• The provider asked staff and patients for feedback about the services they provided.
• The provider dealt with complaints positively and efficiently.
• The provider had information governance arrangements.

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

• Improve the security of NHS prescription pads in the practice and ensure there are systems in place to track and monitor their use.
• Take action to ensure worktop surfaces and sinks are replaced in line with guidelines issued by the Department of Health in the Health Technical Memorandum 01-05: Decontamination in primary care dental practices.
• Take action to ensure all clinicians carry out patient assessments in line with relevant nationally recognised evidence-based guidance.