Archived: Finest Dental Canon Street

Updated 16 October 2019

We carried out this announced inspection on 1 August 2019 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 not providing responsive care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Are services well-led?

We found that this practice was not providing well-led care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Background

Finest Dental Canon Street is in the City of London and provides private treatment to adults only.

There is access via a portable ramp for people who use wheelchairs and those with pushchairs. The practice is in the basement of the building and there is lift access for patients. Transport services are near the practice.

The dental team includes five dentists, five dental nurses, four treatment co-ordinators, one clinical manager and a practice manager (who also covers reception duties). The practice has four dental treatment rooms.

The practice is owned by a company and as a condition of registration must have a person registered with the Care Quality Commission 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 Finest Dental Canon Street was the Clinical director of the company.

On the day of inspection, we collected feedback from three patients through CQC comment cards and speaking with patients.

During the inspection we spoke with two dentists, one dental nurse, the practice manager and the clinical manager. We looked at practice policies and procedures and other records about how the service is managed.

The practice is open: 11am to 8pm Monday to Thursday, 8am to 5pm on Fridays and 10am-5pm on Saturdays.

Our key findings were:

• The practice appeared clean and well maintained.
• The provider had infection control procedures which reflected published guidance.
• 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 suitable safeguarding processes and staff knew their responsibilities for safeguarding vulnerable adults and children.
• 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 supporting patients to ensure better oral health.
• The appointment system took account of patients’ needs.
• The provider had effective leadership and culture of continuous improvement.
• Staff felt involved and supported and worked well as a team.
• The provider asked staff and patients for feedback about the services they provided.
• The provider did not deal with complaints efficiently.
• The provider did not have suitable information governance arrangements.

Following discussions with the principal dentist they assured us that the practice would cease providing dental treatment procedures under conscious sedation until they had reviewed their procedures and addressed the issues and concerns we identified.

We identified regulations the provider was not complying with. They must:

• Ensure there is an effective system for identifying, receiving, recording, handling and responding to complaints by patients and other persons in relation to the carrying on of the regulated activity
• 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’s arrangements for receiving and responding to patient safety alerts, recalls and rapid response reports issued by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, the Central Alerting System and other relevant bodies, such as Public Health England.