Beresford Dental Practice Ltd

We carried out this announced inspection on 22 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 always ask 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 not 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

Beresford Dental Practice Ltd is in Wandsworth and provides private dental care and treatment for adults and children.

Car parking spaces, including dedicated parking for people with disabilities, are available near the practice.

The dental team includes a dentist and a dental nurse.

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 Beresford Dental Practice Ltd is the principal dentist.

During the inspection we spoke with the dentist and the dental nurse. We looked at practice policies and procedures and other records about how the service is managed.

The practice is open

Monday, Wednesday and Friday between 9.00am and 2.00pm

Our key findings were:

• The practice appeared to be visibly clean and well-maintained.
• The provider had some infection control procedures, but improvements were required.
• Staff knew how to deal with emergencies. Most medicines and life-saving equipment were available; however some items were not available on the day of the inspection.
• Improvements were required to the provider’s systems to manage risk to patients and staff.
• There were insufficient assurances that equipment used by staff for sterilising used dental instruments was validated, maintained and used in line with the manufacturers’ guidance from July 2021
• The provider could not provide assurances that the X-ray equipment was tested and checked in accordance with current national regulations and guidance.
• Staff knew their responsibilities for safeguarding vulnerable adults and children.
• The provider had a staff recruitment process.
• The clinical staff provided patients’ care and treatment in line with current guidelines.
• Staff provided preventive care and supported patients to ensure better oral health.
• The provider had some information governance arrangements.
• Risks to the health, safety and welfare of patients and staff were not assessed as part of an ongoing and robust system of governance and management.

We brought our concerns to the attention of the provider and requested urgent action. They voluntarily decided to close the practice for a period of time to make urgent improvements.

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:

Review the practice protocols regarding audits for prescribing of antibiotic medicines taking into account the guidance provided by the College of General Dentistry.