The Care Quality Commission
  • Dentist
  • Dentist

Archived: Infinity Dental Care

Streatham Hill Health Centre, 41A-C Streatham Hill, London, SW2 4TP (020) 3049 5959

Provided and run by:
Dr P Patel & Dr R Chadha

Important: The provider of this service changed - see old profile

All Inspections

20 January 2020

During a routine inspection

We carried out this announced inspection on 20 January 2020 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 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 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 caring?

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

Are services responsive?

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

Are services well-led?

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

Background

Infinity Dental Care is in Streatham in the London Borough of Lambeth and provides NHS and private dental care and treatment for adults and children.

There is access to the practice via a lift for people who use wheelchairs and those with pushchairs. Car parking spaces, including dedicated parking for people with disabilities, are available near the practice.

The dental team includes two principal dentists, four dentists, four dental nurses, three dental hygienists, three receptionists, an assistant practice manager and a practice manager. The practice has five treatment rooms.

The practice is owned by a partnership 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 Infinity Dental Care is one of the principal dentists.

On the day of inspection, we collected 41 CQC comment cards filled in by patients and spoke with four other patients.

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

The practice is open:

Monday: 9:00am – 5:30pm

Tuesday: 8:00am – 5:30pm

Wednesday: 9:00am – 5:30pm

Thursday: 8:00am – 7:00pm

Friday: 9:00am – 5:30pm

Our key findings were:

  • The practice appeared to be visibly clean and well-maintained.
  • The provider had infection control procedures which generally reflected published guidance. However, improvements were required in regards to the manual cleaning of instruments.
  • 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 safeguarding processes and staff knew their responsibilities for safeguarding vulnerable adults and children.
  • The provider had staff recruitment procedures which reflected current legislation.
  • 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 supported patients to ensure better oral health.
  • The appointment system took account of patients’ needs.
  • The provider had effective leadership and a culture of continuous improvement.
  • 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 dealt with complaints positively and efficiently.
  • The provider had information governance arrangements.

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

  • Improve 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 in regards to the manual cleaning of instruments.
  • Review the practice protocols regarding audits for prescribing of antibiotic medicines taking into account the guidance provided by the Faculty of General Dental Practice

11 August 2015

During a routine inspection

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 11 August 2015 to ask the practice the following key questions; Are services safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led?

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

Infinity Dental Clinic is located in the London Borough of Lambeth. The premises consist of five treatment rooms and one dedicated decontamination room. There are also toilet facilities, a waiting room, a reception area, an administrative office and a staff room.

The practice provides NHS and private dental services and treats both adults and children. The practice offers a range of dental services including routine examinations and treatment, veneers, crowns and bridges and oral hygiene.

The staff structure of the practice is comprised of two principal dentists (who are also the owners), two associate dentists, six dental nurses, two hygienists, a practice manager and a receptionist.

The practice was open Monday to Friday 9:00am to 5:30pm.

One of the principle dentists is the registered manager. A registered manager is a person who is registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons 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 inspection took place over one day and was carried out by a CQC inspector and a dentist specialist advisor.

We received 37 CQC comment cards completed by patients. All the comments were positive about the care they received from the practice. They were complimentary about the friendly and caring attitude of all the staff.

Our key findings were:

  • The practice recorded and analysed significant events and complaints and cascaded learning to staff.
  • Staff had received safeguarding and whistleblowing training and knew the processes to follow to raise any concerns.
  • Staff had been trained to handle emergencies; appropriate medicines and life-saving equipment were readily available.
  • Infection control procedures were robust and the practice followed published guidance from the Department of Health.
  • Patient care and treatment was planned and delivered in line with evidence based guidelines, best practice and current legislation.
  • Patients received clear explanations about their proposed treatment, costs, benefits and risks and were involved in making decisions about it.
  • Patients were treated with dignity and respect and confidentiality was maintained.
  • The appointment system met the needs of patients and waiting times were kept to a minimum.
  • There was an effective complaints system and the practice was open and transparent with apologies given if a mistake had been made.
  • The practice sought feedback from staff and patients about the services they provided and made improvements.