Barkhill Dental Clinic

We carried out this announced focussed inspection on 17 November 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 asked the following three questions:

• 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

Barkhill Dental Clinic is in Idle on the outskirts of Bradford and provides NHS and private dental care treatment adults and children, including orthodontics and implant work for patients.

There is disabled access at this location with treatment rooms based on the ground floor. Car parking spaces are available at the practice car park.

The dental team includes six dentists, one dental hygienist, a practice manager who works remotely, seven dental nurse, two receptionists and administrative staff. The practice has five 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.

To facilitate the Inspection the provider delegated responsibility to the practice manager who assisted us on the visit.

During the inspection we spoke with the principal dentist, two dental nurses, administrative staff and the practice manager. We looked at practice policies and procedures and other records about how the service is managed.

The practice is open:

Monday -Friday 8am-8:00pm

Our key findings were:

• The practice appeared to be visibly clean and well-maintained.
• The provider had infection control procedures which reflected published guidance.
• The provider had implemented standard operating procedures in line with national guidance on COVID-19.
• Staff knew how to deal with emergencies. Appropriate medicines and life-saving equipment were available.
• Improvements could be made to the practice's systems for checking and monitoring equipment, taking into account relevant guidance and ensure that all equipment is well maintained.
• A legionella risk assessment was in place, we noted that not all of the recommendations in the risk assessment had been actioned.
• Regular audits were in place with actions recorded and followed up.
• The provider asked patients for feedback about the services they provided.
• The provider dealt with complaints positively and efficiently.
• Improvements could be made to the management and oversight of records and accessibility of information for staff.
• Improvements were needed to ensure effective leadership, oversight and management.

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

Full details of the regulation the provider was not meeting are at the end of this report.