Updated 23 November 2023
We undertook a follow up focused inspection of The Rickmansworth Dental Centre on 26 October 2023. This inspection was carried out to review the actions taken by the registered provider to improve the quality of care and to confirm that the practice was now meeting legal requirements.
The inspection was led by a CQC inspector who was supported by a specialist dental advisor.
We had previously undertaken a comprehensive inspection of The Rickmansworth Dental Centre on 8 August 2023 under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. We found the registered provider was not providing safe and well-led care and was in breach of regulations 12 and 17 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014.
You can read our report of that inspection by selecting the 'all reports' link for The Rickmansworth Dental Centre on our website www.cqc.org.uk.
When 1 or more of the 5 questions are not met we require the service to make improvements and send us an action plan. We then inspect again after a reasonable interval, focusing on the area(s) where improvement was required.
As part of this inspection we asked:
- Is it safe?
- Is it well-led?
Our findings were:
Are services safe?
We found this practice was providing safe care in accordance with the relevant regulations.
The provider had made improvements in relation to the regulatory breaches we found at our inspection on 8 August 2023.
Are services well-led?
We found this practice was providing well-led care in accordance with the relevant regulations.
The provider had made improvements in relation to the regulatory breaches we found at our inspection on 8 August 2023.
Background
Rickmansworth Dental Centre is in Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire and provides NHS and private dental care and treatment for adults and children.
There is a step into the practice reception area with a flight of stairs leading to the treatment rooms. A stairlift is available for people who have mobility difficulties. 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 a dentist, a trainee dental nurse, 2 dental hygienists and a receptionist. The practice has 2 treatment rooms.
During the inspection we spoke with the dentist, the trainee dental nurse and the receptionist. We looked at practice policies, procedures and other records to assess how the service is managed.
The practice is open:
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday from 8.30am to 5.30pm
Friday from 8am to 1pm
Saturday (1 per month) from 9am to 1pm.
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 record keeping, and antimicrobial prescribing are undertaken at regular intervals to improve the quality of the service.