Belmont Dental Practice

We carried out this announced comprehensive inspection on 8 June 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. Improvements were required with regards to the availability of medicines and life-saving equipment.
• 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.
• 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 some systems to manage risks for patients, staff, equipment, and the premises. Improvement was required to manage the risks associated with fire.
• The practice had not completed infection prevention and control or radiography audits in line with guidance.

Background

Belmont Dental Practice is in Belmont in the London borough of Sutton 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 1 principal dentist, 2 associate dentists, 2 dental nurses, 2 receptionists, 1 administrator and 2 support staff. The practice has 2 treatment rooms.

During the inspection we spoke with the principal dentist, 1 dental nurse, 1 receptionist and 1 support staff. We looked at practice policies, procedures, and other records to assess how the service is managed.

The practice is open: from 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday. They close for lunch from 1-2pm

We identified a regulation the provider is not complying with. They must:

• Establish effective systems and processes to ensure good governance in accordance with the fundamental standards of care.

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

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

• Implement audits for prescribing of antibiotic medicines taking into account the guidance provided by the College of General Dentistry.
• Implement systems for environmental cleaning taking into account the guidelines issued by the Department of Health - Health Technical Memorandum 01-05: Decontamination in primary care dental practices.
• Take action to ensure the availability of all medicines in the practice to manage medical emergencies taking into account the guidelines issued by the British National Formulary and the General Dental Council.