Stanmore Dental Practice

We carried out this announced comprehensive inspection on 22 May 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 generally reflected published guidance.
• Staff knew how to deal with medical emergencies. Most medicines and life-saving equipment were available.
• The practice had systems to manage risks for patients, staff, equipment and the premises.
• 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.
• Improvements were required in regard to the practice information governance, particularly in relation to retaining documents appropriately.
• Quality assurance processes could be improved by ensuring that identified improvements were made following infection control audits and record keeping and, antimicrobial prescribing audits were carried out.

Background

Stanmore Dental Practice is in Harrow and provides 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 dental team includes 2 dentists, 3 dental nurses, 2 trainee dental nurses, a practice manager and 1 receptionist. The practice has two treatment rooms.

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

The practice is open:

Monday to Friday from 9.00am to 5.00pm

Saturdays by appointment.

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

• Take action to ensure audits of infection prevention and control undertaken had documented learning points and the resulting improvements can be demonstrated.
• Improve the practice’s arrangements for ensuring good governance and leadership are sustained in the longer term. Particularly in regard to maintaining records related to the running of the service appropriately.
• Improve the practice’s sharps procedures to ensure the practice is in compliance with the Health and Safety (Sharp Instruments in Healthcare) Regulations 2013.
• Take action to ensure the clinicians take into account the guidance provided by the College of General Dentistry when completing dental care records.

• Implement audits for record keeping, prescribing of antibiotic medicines taking into account the guidance provided by the College of General Dentistry.