Little Aston Dental Care

We carried out this announced focused inspection on 5 July 2022 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 practice 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 COVID-19 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:

• The dental clinic was visibly clean and well-maintained.
• The practice had infection control procedures which reflected published guidance.
• Staff knew how to deal with medical emergencies. Appropriate medicines and life-saving equipment were available.
• The practice had systems to help them manage risk to patients and staff.
• Safeguarding processes were in place and staff knew their responsibilities for safeguarding vulnerable adults and children.
• The practice had staff recruitment procedures which reflected current legislation.
• The clinical staff provided patients’ care and treatment in line with current guidelines.
• Patients were treated with dignity and respect and staff 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.
• There was effective leadership and a culture of continuous improvement.
• Staff felt involved and supported and worked as a team.
• Staff and patients were asked for feedback about the services provided.
• The dental clinic had information governance arrangements.

Background

The provider has one practice and this report is about Little Aston Dental Care.

Little Aston Dental Care is in Sutton Coldfield and provides private dental care and treatment for adults and children.

There is no level access to the practice for people who use wheelchairs and those with pushchairs. The practice signposts people who use a wheelchair to another practice within the local area.

The dental team includes one dentist, three dental nurses (one of which is the main receptionist), and one dental hygienist. The practice has two treatment rooms.

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 to Thursday from 9.00am to 5.30pm.

Friday from 9.00am to 4.30pm.

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

• Implement an effective system for monitoring and recording the fridge’s temperature to ensure it is operating correctly and that medicines and dental care products are being stored in line with the manufacturer’s guidance.
• Take action to ensure audits have documented learning points and the resulting improvements can be demonstrated, in particular the infection prevention and control audit.
• Embed the practice’s infection control procedures and protocols taking into account the guidelines issued by the Department of Health in the Health Technical Memorandum 01-05: Decontamination in primary care dental practices, and having regard to The Health and Social Care Act 2008: ‘Code of Practice about the prevention and control of infections and related guidance’. In particular, streamlining the daily decontamination cleaning checks.