58 Oaklands Park Avenue

We carried out this announced inspection on 17 June 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 are three of the five questions that 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 providing well-led care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Background

58 Oaklands Park Avenue is in The London Borough of Redbridge and provides private dental treatment to adults and children. The provider- Denta Clinic Ltd is registered as an organisation with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to provide the regulated activities of treatment of disease, disorder or injury, surgical procedures and diagnostic and screening procedures from one location i.e. 58 Oaklands Park avenue, Ilford, IG1 1TG.

The practice is situated across two floors. The first floor consists of two surgeries, a separate decontamination room, an office, staff room, patient toilet and an open-plan reception area/waiting room. The ground floor houses the compressor unit, a separate storage area for clinical waste, Orthopantomogram (OPG) X-ray area, staff toilet and a personal protective equipment (PPE) donning and doffing area for staff.

The practice is accessible by Transport for London rail and bus services and is within easy access to local amenities including banks, supermarkets and a post office. The practice is not suitable for people who use wheelchairs and those with pushchairs as there is no lift on the premise to access treatment rooms on the first floor. Paid parking spaces, including dedicated parking for people with disabilities, are available near the practice.

The dental team is made up six dentists, an oral surgeon, dentist, three dental nurses-two of whom are trainees and one receptionist. They are supported by a self-employed compliance lead and the two practice owners.

The practice is owned by an organisation 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 58 Oaklands Park Avenue is one of the owners who is also a registered dental nurse.

The practice is open between 9.00am and 6.00pm Monday to Friday and Saturday 10am to 6.00pm. During out of hours, patients are advised to contact a dedicated phone number for advice and or treatment.

During the inspection we spoke with one dentist, one dental nurse, one receptionist, the compliance lead and one of the practice owners. We looked at practice policies and procedures and other records about how the service is managed.

Our key findings were:

• The practice appeared to be visibly clean and well-maintained.
• The provider had infection control procedures which had incorporated the most recent Covid-19 standard operating procedures (SOP).
• Staff knew how to deal with emergencies. Appropriate medicines and life-saving equipment were available.
• The provider had systems to help them manage risk to patients and staff.
• The provider had safeguarding processes and staff knew their responsibilities for safeguarding vulnerable adults and children.
• The provider had staff recruitment procedures which reflected current legislation.
• 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.
• The appointment system took account of patients’ needs.
• The provider had effective leadership and a culture of continuous improvement.
• 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 dealt with complaints positively and efficiently.
• The provider had information governance arrangements.

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

• Improve the whistleblowing policy to include contact details of external organisations staff can raise concerns with if they are not confident doing so internally.
• Take action to ensure staff nominated to undertake the role of fire warden/marshal duties are trained to do so.