Updated 21 March 2019
We undertook a focused inspection of Kidsgrove Dental & Implant Centre on 19 February 2019. This inspection was carried out to review in detail the actions taken by the registered provider to improve the quality of care and to confirm that the practice was now meeting legal requirements.
The inspection was led by a CQC inspector who was supported by a specialist dental adviser.
We undertook a comprehensive inspection of Kidsgrove Dental & Implant Centre on 24 October 2018 under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. We found the registered provider was not providing well-led care and was in breach of regulation 17 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. You can read our report of that inspection by selecting the 'all reports' link for Kidsgrove Dental & Implant Centre on our website www.cqc.org.uk.
As part of this inspection we asked:
• Is it well-led?
When one or more of the five questions are not met we require the service to make improvements and send us an action plan. We then inspect again after a reasonable interval, focusing on the areas where improvement was required.
Our findings were:
Are services well-led?
We found this practice was providing well-led care in accordance with the relevant regulations.
The provider had made improvements in relation to the regulatory breach we found at our inspection on 24 October 2018.
Background
Kidsgrove Dental and Implant Centre is located close to the town centre of Kidsgrove on the northern outskirts of Stoke-on-Trent. The practice provides mostly private dental treatment to adults with a small NHS contract for children. This follow-up report relates to the private dental service.
There is a ramp with a handrail fitted to one side up to the entrance. The practice has three treatment rooms, one of which is located on the ground floor. This is of benefit for people who use wheelchairs and those with pushchairs. There is roadside parking available in the area around the practice.
The dental team includes two dentists, one dental hygienist, one dental hygiene therapist, two qualified dental nurses, one trainee dental nurse, one receptionist and one business director.
The practice is owned by an individual who is the principal dentist there. 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.
During the inspection we spoke with one dentist and two dental nurses. We looked at practice policies and procedures and other records about how the service is managed.
The practice is open: Monday: 9am to 7pm, Tuesday: 9am to 5pm, Wednesday: 9am to 7pm, Thursday: 9am to 5pm and Friday: 9am to 4pm. The practice is closed on Saturday and Sunday.
Our key findings were:
- The provider had improved the way in which sharps were handled and managed within the practice. Only clinicians handled sharps and equipment had been purchased to enable safe removal of needles.
- A new Legionella risk assessment had been completed on 3 December 2018 by an external company. Actions identified in the risk assessment had been completed.
- Improvements had been made regarding cleaning dental instruments. Manual cleaning was only being used as a back-up, and appropriate checks and tests were being completed on the ultrasonic cleaners.
- Emergency equipment had been replaced where necessary, and a new first aid box had been purchased.
- Checklists have been introduced for the external cleaning company and the premises were visibly clean and tidy.
- Audits had been completed for several areas in the practice. There were no action plans from the audits, and in some cases the detail was very brief.
There were areas where the provider could make improvements. They should:
- Review the practice’s protocols to ensure audits of radiography and infection prevention and control are undertaken at regular intervals to improve the quality of the service. Practice should also ensure that, where appropriate, audits have documented learning points and the resulting improvements can be demonstrated.