The Care Quality Commission
  • Dentist
  • Dentist

Azamay

27 Heddon Court Parade, Cockfosters Road, Cockfosters, Hertfordshire, EN4 0DB (020) 8449 6858

Provided and run by:
Azamay Ltd

All Inspections

11 July 2023

During an inspection looking at part of the service

We undertook a follow up focused inspection of Azamay on 11 July 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 had remote access to a specialist dental advisor.

We had previously undertaken a comprehensive inspection of Azamay on 17 March 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 Azamay dental practice 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 areas 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 17 March 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 breaces we found at our inspection on 17 March 2023.

Background

The provider is part of a dental group (The Smile Studios) and has 5 practices, and this report is about Azamay.

Azamay is a dental practice in Cockfosters, in the London Borough of Enfield 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 are available near the practice. The practice has made reasonable adjustments to support patients with access requirements.

The dental team includes 1 principal dentist, 3 associate dentists, 1 qualified dental nurse, 1 trainee dental nurse, 1 receptionist and 1 regional manager. The practice has 2 treatment rooms.

During the inspection we spoke with the regional 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 9am to 6pm.

17 March 2023

During a routine inspection

We carried out this announced comprehensive inspection on 17 March 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 reflected published guidance.
  • 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. 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.
  • The practice had some information governance arrangements. Improvements were needed to ensure that CCTV (Closed Circuit Television) signage was displayed to inform people about its presence.
  • The practice had some systems to manage risks for patients, staff, equipment and the premises. Improvements were needed to the systems for assessing, monitoring and mitigating risks associated with fire, equipment and the use of sharps.
  • The practice had staff recruitment procedures which broadly reflected current legislation. Improvements were needed to ensure that the provider obtained satisfactory evidence of conduct in previous employment.
  • Clinical staff provided patients’ care and treatment in line with current guidelines. Improvements were needed to ensure that there were effective systems in place to track and monitor referrals, including urgent referrals where oral cancer was suspected.

Background

The provider is part of a corporate group (The Smile Studios) and has 5 practices, and this report is about Azamay.

Azamay is in Cockfosters, in the London Borough of Enfield 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 are available near the practice. The practice has made reasonable adjustments to support patients with access requirements.

The dental team includes 1 principal dentist, 3 associate dentists, 1 qualified dental nurses, 1 trainee dental nurse, 1 receptionist and 1 regional manager. The practice has 2 treatment rooms.

During the inspection we spoke with the qualified dental nurse and the regional 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 9am to 6pm.

We identified regulations the provider was not complying with. They must:

  • Ensure care and treatment is provided in a safe way to patients.
  • Establish effective systems and processes to ensure good governance in accordance with the fundamental standards of care.

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

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

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

31 May 2013

During an inspection looking at part of the service

The premises were clean and well maintained. Staff had received infection control training and were able to demonstrate knowledge of Department of Health guidance on decontamination in dental care practices. A computerised management system had been introduced by the provider since the last inspection and we saw records that demonstrated infection control. A wash hand basin had been installed in the decontamination room. This meant that patients and staff were protected from the risk of acquiring an infection as appropriate and effective systems were in place to assess risk and to prevent, detect and control the spread of a health care associated infection.

30 January 2013

During a routine inspection

Patients told us that treatment was explained to them by staff in the surgery in private, that they were given choices of treatment, were able to express their views and were involved in making decisions about their care and treatment.

We spoke with staff and saw records that showed care and treatment was planned and delivered in line with the patient's individual treatment plan. Patients were recalled at intervals based on their individual needs. One patient comment was "I felt very at ease with reassurance given throughout treatment." All of the patients we spoke with said they would recommend the dentist.

We saw that the provider had patient safety and child protection policies. Staff were aware of this and knew to report any allegations of abuse to the manager, the local authority and police as necessary.

The premises were clean and well maintained. The provider had identified that there were changes taking place in the practice to staff responsibilities and roles for infection control. Staff were not able to demonstrate knowledge of Department of Health Guidance Health Technical Memorandum 01-05 Decontamination in dental care practices and we saw that some infection control records were not current.

We saw that patient's personal records including medical records were stored securely and were kept up to date. Records were retained and stored in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998