The Care Quality Commission
  • Dentist
  • Dentist

Westmead Dental Practice

96 Westmead Road, Sutton, Surrey, SM1 4HX (020) 8643 7935

Provided and run by:
Dr. John Clarke

All Inspections

26 May 2022

During an inspection looking at part of the service

We carried out this announced focused inspection on 26 May 2022 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 adviser.

To get to the heart of patients’ experiences of care and treatment, we usually ask five key questions, however due to the ongoing COVID-19 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:

  • The dental clinic appeared to be visibly 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 life-saving equipment were available.
  • The practice had systems to help them manage risk to patients and staff.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • There was effective leadership and a culture of continuous improvement.
  • Staff felt involved and supported and worked as a team.
  • Staff and patients were asked for feedback about the services provided.
  • The dental clinic had information governance arrangements. Improvements were required with regards to auditing various aspects of the service.

Background

Westmead Dental Practice is in Sutton and provides NHS and or private dental care and treatment for adults and children.

There is level access to the practice for people who use wheelchairs and those with pushchairs. Car parking spaces are available near the practice.

The dental team includes a principal dentist, two dental nurses (who also cover reception) and one practice administrator. The practice has three treatment rooms.

During the inspection we spoke with all the team. We looked at practice policies and procedures and other records about how the service is managed.

The practice is open:

Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm

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

  • Take action to ensure audits of radiography and infection prevention and control are undertaken at regular intervals to improve the quality of the service.
  • Implement audits for prescribing of antibiotic medicines taking into account the guidance provided by the College of General Dentistry.

24 March 2014

During an inspection looking at part of the service

Following our last inspection to the service on 13 January 2014 we identified essential standards of quality and safety were not being met in respect of Regulations 9 and 20 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2010.

We asked the provider to take appropriate action to achieve compliance with these regulations. They sent us a report on 30 January 2014 detailing how they would do this.

At this visit we found the provider had made the improvements required to achieve compliance. We found medicines and equipment used in emergencies were in date and regularly checked by staff.

We also saw people's records were kept safely and appropriately.

13 January 2014

During a routine inspection

We spoke with five people using the service on the day of our inspection. All of the people we spoke with were positive about their experiences of using the service. Typical comments we received were; 'It's very good. Best dentist I've ever had.'; 'It's absolutely marvellous here.' and 'I've been coming here for twenty six years. It's a really good practice.'

People told us their treatment options were explained to them by staff. One person said, 'They explain everything that will happen and let you decide about what you want.' Another told us, 'They are just so friendly and nice and always explain everything to you.'

We looked at the records of people using the service. We saw clinical staff explained treatment options and documented people's preferences and choices. People were provided with treatment plans which set out their treatment needs and costs. From records kept by staff we noted people received the treatment that was planned.

The practice had procedures in place for staff to report any concerns they had about the welfare and wellbeing of people and children using the service.

All of the people we spoke with told us the practice was kept clean and tidy. There were appropriate policies and procedures in place to prevent and control the risks of cross infection.

Peoples views and experiences had been used to make changes and improvements that people wanted. Practice staff undertook audits to monitor and review the quality and safety of the care and treatment provided to people using the service.

However we found medicines used in emergencies were out of date. We also found no evidence equipment used in emergencies had been checked regularly. This put people at risk of unsafe or inappropriate care in an emergency. We also found paper records were not kept securely. People's personal information was easily accessible in one part of the practice which not only put people at risk but also breached data protection and confidentiality rules.