Leytonstone Dental Centre

We carried out this announced inspection on 24 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 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 questions 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 not providing well-led care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Background

Leytonstone Dental Centre is in the London Borough of Waltham Forest and provides private dental care and treatment for adults and children.

The practice is located close to public transport links and car parking spaces are available near the practice.

The dental team includes three dentists, one dental nurse, a receptionist, a practice manager and a compliance manager. The practice has three treatment rooms.

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 Leytonstone Dental Centre is the practice manager.

During the inspection we spoke with the dental nurse, the receptionist and the practice manager and the compliance manager. As there were no dentists available on the day of the inspection we carried out a remote conversation with one of the dentists after the inspection. We looked at practice policies and procedures and other records about how the service is managed.

The practice is open:

Monday to Saturday from 10.00am to 5.00pm

Our key findings were:

• The provider had infection control procedures which reflected published guidance.
• The provider had safeguarding processes and staff knew their responsibilities for safeguarding vulnerable adults and children.
• 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 had information governance arrangements.
• Staff knew how to deal with emergencies. Appropriate medicines and life-saving equipment were available.
• The practice appeared to be visibly clean and well-maintained
• Staff provided preventive care and supported patients to ensure better oral health. However, improvements were needed to ensure that all important information was suitably recorded within the dental care records.
• The provider had staff recruitment procedures. Improvements were needed to ensure that checks were carried out consistently for all staff at the time of recruitment, and records available.

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

• Establish effective systems and processes to ensure good governance in accordance with the fundamental standards of care.

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

• Implement audits for prescribing of antibiotic medicines taking into account the guidance provided by the Faculty of General Dental Practice.