The Care Quality Commission
  • Dentist
  • Dentist

Wickham Dental Practice

Knights Chambers, The Square, Wickham, Fareham, Hampshire, PO17 5JW (01329) 833855

Provided and run by:
Dr. Jonathan Hall

All Inspections

25 January 2024

During an inspection looking at part of the service

We undertook a follow up focused inspection of Wickham Dental Practice on
25 January 2024.

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 remotely supported by a specialist dental advisor.

We had previously undertaken a comprehensive inspection of Wickham Dental Practice on 17 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 well-led care and was in breach of regulation 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 Wickham Dental Practice on our website www.cqc.org.uk.

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 well-led?

Our findings were:

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 breach we found at our inspection on 17 August 2023.

Background

Wickham Dental Practice is in Wickham, Hampshire and provides private dental care and treatment for adults and children.

The practice is on the first floor. Patients are advised of this when they contact the practice.

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, 1 dental nurse, 1 student dental nurse, 1 dental hygienist and 2 receptionists.

The practice has 3 treatment rooms.

During the inspection we spoke with the principle dentist.

We looked at practice policies, procedures and other records to assess how the service is managed.

The practice is open:

  • 8.30am – 5.30pm Monday to Thursday
  • 8.30am – 2.00pm Friday

17 August 2023

During a routine inspection

We carried out this announced comprehensive inspection on 17 August 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 practice appeared clean.
  • The practice had infection control procedures which reflected published guidance, but improvements were needed.
  • Staff knew how to deal with medical emergencies. Appropriate medicines and life-saving equipment were available.
  • Safeguarding processes were in place and staff knew their responsibilities for safeguarding vulnerable adults and children.
  • Recruitment checks had not been carried out, in accordance with relevant legislation to help them employ suitable staff.
  • 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.
  • The practice had systems to manage risks for patients, staff, equipment and the premises but improvements were needed to ensure processes were effective.
  • 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.

Background

Wickham Dental Practice is in Wickham and provides private dental care and treatment for adults and children.

The practice is on the first floor. Patients are advised of this when they contact the practice.

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 dentist, 2 dental nurses, 1 student dental nurse, 1 dental hygienist and 2 receptionists.

The practice has 3 treatment rooms.

During the inspection we spoke with 1 dentists, 1 dental nurse, 1 student dental nurse, 1 dental hygienist and 1 receptionist.

We looked at practice policies, procedures and other records to assess how the service is managed.

The practice is open:

  • 8.30am to 5.30pm Monday to Thursday
  • 8.30am to 2.00pm Friday

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.


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

  • Take action to ensure that all clinical staff have adequate immunity for vaccine-preventable infectious diseases.

24 November 2014

During an inspection looking at part of the service

A routine inspection took place in August 2014 which identified that the provider had not carried out regular checks to assess, monitor and manage aspects of the service which may pose a risk to the safety of people who use the service. Also professional guidance had not been followed in relation to providing equipment and medicines for use in an emergency.

This concern was judged to have had a moderate impact on people who used the service.

The provider was required to submit a plan detailing the action they were taking to ensure compliance with this standard and the date at which they would be compliant. The provider told us in their plan that they would be compliant with this standard by 31 October 2014.

At this inspection we found that the provider had taken appropriate measures to achieve compliance.

The provider had an effective system in place to identify, assess and manage risks to the health, safety and welfare of people who use the service and others.

4 August 2014

During a routine inspection

During our visit we spoke with the two dentists who worked at the practice. They explained how treatment options were discussed with their patients. We saw that patient records contained a record of the treatment options that had been discussed to enable patients to make informed decisions.

Patients' needs were assessed and care and treatment was planned and delivered in line with their individual treatment plan. During our visit we spoke with four patients about their care and treatment. All of the patients we spoke with commented positively on the way the dentist explained their treatment and how the dentist kept them informed throughout their treatment.

We saw at this practice there were systems in place to reduce the risk and spread of infection.Staff were able to demonstrate their awareness of the safe practices required in relation to infection prevention and control.

The practice sought continuous patient feedback. The most recent comments included: 'Always very satisfactory' and 'Very good clean place'. However the practice did not have a regular audit plan. They were unable to provide evidence that they audited the care and systems at the practice in order to ensure they delivered a high quality service to patients.

The equipment and emergency medicines available at the practice should a medical emergency occur did not match those recommended by the Resuscitation Council and the British National Formulary. This meant that the provider had not followed relevant professional advice to mitigate any risk to patients.

19 March 2012

During a routine inspection

Patients spoke highly of the dental service provided at Wickham dental Practice. They told us staff were always friendly and helpful. They were provided with verbal and written information about the various treatments, including the costs of the various treatments. This meant that they were able to make informed decisions about their treatment plans.

They said they were always pleased with the standard of treatment they received at the dental practice and that staff 'couldn't have been kinder.' Patients confirmed they are given advice about maintaining good dental health. They told us that the reception and surgeries were always clean and they did not have any concerns with hygiene practices.