Haydons Road Dental Practice

We carried out this announced inspection on 21 September 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 questions 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 not providing well-led care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Background

Haydons Road Dental Practice is in Wimbledon in the London Borough of Merton and provides NHS dental care and treatment for adults and children.

There is level access to the practice for people who use wheelchairs and those with pushchairs. The practice has a large car park to accommodate patients who visit.

The dental team includes a principal dentist, a foundation dentist, a locum dentist, two trainee dental nurses and a receptionist. The practice has two treatment rooms.

The practice is owned by an individual who is the principal dentist there. 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.

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

The practice is open:

8.00am to 5.00pm Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday

8.00 to 12.00pm Friday and Saturday

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 safeguarding processes and staff knew their responsibilities for safeguarding vulnerable adults and children.
• The clinical staff provided patients’ care and treatment in line with current guidelines.
• Staff provided preventive care and supported patients to ensure better oral health.
• The provider had effective leadership and a culture of continuous improvement.
• 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 had staff recruitment procedures which reflected current legislation. Improvements were required with regards to the storing of this information.
• The provider had information governance arrangements. Improvements were required with regards to the storing of this information.
• The provider had ineffective systems to help them manage risk to patients and staff.

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

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