Cockrams and Bhandal

We carried out this announced comprehensive inspection on 26 July 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. Practice staff did not have access to cleaning logs to evidence cleaning tasks completed in line with current requirements.
• 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.
• The practice had systems to manage risks for patients, staff, equipment and the premises.
• Safeguarding processes were in place and staff knew their responsibilities for safeguarding vulnerable adults and children.
• The practice had staff recruitment procedures which reflected current legislation.
• Clinical staff provided patients’ care and treatment in line with current guidelines.
• 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.
• There was effective leadership and a culture of continuous improvement.
• 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 information governance arrangements.

Background

The provider is part of a corporate group Bhandal Dental and had multiple practices. This report is about Bhandal dental practice, Kingswinford Health Centre.

Kingswinford Health Centre is in Kingswinford and provides NHS and .private dental care and treatment for adults and children.

The dental practice is located on the first floor of the health centre and there is no disabled access. Those patients who require disabled access would be referred to another local wheelchair accessible practice within the group. Car parking spaces, including dedicated parking for disabled people, are available near the practice.

The dental team includes 3 dentists, 4 dental nurses, 1 orthodontic therapist, 1 practice manager, 1 receptionist and 1 support staff. The practice has 3 treatment rooms.

During the inspection we spoke with 3 dentists, 1 receptionist and the practice manager. We briefly spoke with the orthodontic therapist over the telephone as she was not present during this inspection. The member of support staff and an area manager from the Bhandal group was also present and assisted during this inspection. 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.

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

• Implement systems for monitoring environmental cleaning taking into account the guidelines issued by the Department of Health - Health Technical Memorandum 01-05: Decontamination in primary care dental practices.

• Take action to ensure the clinicians take into account the guidance provided by the College of General Dentistry when completing dental care records.

• Take action to implement any recommendations in the practice's fire safety risk assessment and ensure ongoing fire safety management is effective.