Julia Brewin - Portland Place

We carried out this announced inspection on 4 December 2018 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 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 five 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:

Are services safe?

We found that this practice was providing safe care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Are services effective?

We found that this practice was providing effective care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Are services caring?

We found that this practice was providing caring services in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Are services responsive?

We found that this practice was providing responsive care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Are services well-led?

We found that this practice was providing well-led care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Background

Julia Brewin -Portland Place is in Westminster and provides dental hygiene services to adults.

There is level access for people who use wheelchairs and those with pushchairs. Car parking spaces are available at a fee on nearby roads.

The dental team includes a hygienist and a dental nurse. The practice has one treatment room that incorporates the decontamination facilities.

The practice is owned by an individual who is the hygienist. They have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated regulations about how the practice is run.

On the day of inspection, we collected 17 CQC comment cards filled in by patients.

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

The practice is open: 8.30 -5.30 Monday and Thursday.

Our key findings were:

• The practice appeared clean and well maintained.
• The practice had infection control procedures which reflected published guidance.
• Staff knew how to deal with emergencies. Appropriate medicines and life-saving equipment were available.
• The practice had systems to help them manage risk.
• The practice staff had suitable safeguarding processes and staff knew their responsibilities for safeguarding adults and children.
• The practice had thorough staff recruitment procedures.
• 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.
• The practice was providing preventive care and supporting patients to ensure better oral health.
• The appointment system met patients’ needs.
• The practice had effective leadership and culture of continuous improvement. The practice asked staff and patients for feedback about the services they provided.
• The practice dealt with complaints positively and efficiently.
• The practice had suitable information governance arrangements. However, improvements could be made in regard to the range of audits untaken, including on infection prevention and control

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

• Review the practice’s audit protocols to ensure infection control audits are undertaken at regular intervals and where applicable learning points are documented and shared with all relevant staff.