Updated 20 November 2023
We undertook a follow up inspection of Smile Dental Care – Helston on 27 October 2023. This inspection was carried out to review in detail 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 access to a specialist dental adviser.
We undertook a comprehensive inspection of Smile dental Care - Helston on 16 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 Smile Dental Care - Helston dental practice on our website www.cqc.org.uk.
When one or more of the five questions are not met we require the service to make improvements and send us an action plan (requirement notice only). 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 well-led?
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 16 August 2023.
Background
The provider is part of a corporate group Smile Dental Care, and this report is about Smile Dental Care - Helston.
Smile Dental Care is in Helston and provides NHS and 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 practice has made reasonable adjustments to support patients with access requirements.
The dental team includes 3 dentists, 1 part-time dental nurse, 3 trainee dental nurses, 2 receptionists and a practice manager. The practice has 4 treatment rooms.
During the inspection we spoke with 1 trainee dental nurse, 1 receptionist, the practice manager and the area business manager on behalf of Smile Dental Care.
The practice is open: Monday to Friday 9.00am – 5.00pm. The practice is closed between 1.00pm – 2.00pm.