Arkh-View Dental Centre West Norwood

We carried out this announced inspection on 21 October 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 usually ask five key questions, however due to the ongoing 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:

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

Arkh-View Dental Centre West Norwood is in West Norwood in the London Borough of Lambeth and provides NHS and private dental care and treatment for adults and children.

The practice is located close to public transport links and car parking spaces are available near the practice.

The dental team includes three dentists, one trainee dental nurse, a receptionist and a practice manager. The practice has two treatment rooms.

The practice is owned by a company and as a condition of registration must have a person registered with the CQC as the registered manager. Registered managers have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated regulations about how the practice is run. The registered manager at Arkh-View Dental Centre West Norwood is the practice manager.

During the inspection we spoke with one dentist, the trainee dental nurse, the receptionist 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 to Friday from 9am to 6pm

Our key findings were:

• The provider had infection control procedures which reflected published guidance.
• The provider had safeguarding processes and staff knew their responsibilities for safeguarding vulnerable adults and children.
• The clinical staff provided patients’ care and treatment in line with current guidelines.
• Staff treated patients with dignity and respect and took care to protect their privacy and personal information.
• Staff provided preventive care and supported patients to ensure better oral health.
• Staff felt involved and supported and worked as a team.
• The provider asked staff and patients for feedback about the services they provided.
• The provider had information governance arrangements.
• The practice appeared to be visibly clean and well-maintained, however the cleaning equipment was not stored appropriately.
• Staff knew how to deal with emergencies. Improvements were needed to ensure all recommended emergency medicines and equipment were available in the correct format and were within their use-by date.
• Improvements were needed to the systems to help the provider manage risks to patients and staff.
• The provider had staff recruitment procedures which reflected current legislation; however, improvements were needed to ensure appropriate recruitment checks had been carried out for temporary staff.

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:

• Implement audits for prescribing of antibiotic medicines taking into account the guidance provided by the Faculty of General Dental Practice.