Inspire Dental Care - Kilburn

We carried out this announced comprehensive inspection on 5 October 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 always ask the following 5 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:

• 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.
• Safeguarding processes were in place and staff knew their responsibilities for safeguarding vulnerable adults and children.
• 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.
• Complaints were dealt with positively and efficiently.
• The dental clinic had information governance arrangements.
• The practice had some systems to help them manage risk to patients and staff. Improvements were needed to ensure there were systems in place for the ongoing identification and management of fire risks.
• The practice had staff recruitment procedures which broadly reflected current legislation. Improvements were needed to ensure documentation of persons employed in relation to their competence, skills and experience which are necessary for the work to be performed by them were obtained and stored.
• The provider had some systems in place to ensure the premises and equipment used for providing care and treatment were safe. Improvements were needed to ensure radiography equipment was serviced and maintained in line with the relevant regulations.

Background

Inspire Dental Care - Kilburn is in the London Borough of Brent and provides NHS and private dental care and treatment for adults and children.

There is level access to the practice for people who use wheelchairs and those with pushchairs. Car parking spaces and public transport links are available near the practice. The practice has made reasonable adjustments to support patients with additional needs.

The dental team includes 2 dentists, a visiting implant dentist, 2 qualified dental nurses and a trainee dental nurse. The practice has 4 treatment rooms and a separate decontamination room.

During the inspection we spoke with one dentist and the trainee dental nurse. We looked at practice policies and procedures and other records about how the service is managed.

The practice is open:

Monday to Friday 8.30am to 5pm and on Saturday by appointment only.

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.

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:

• Implement an effective system for monitoring and recording the fridge temperature to ensure that medicines and dental care products are being stored in line with the manufacturer’s guidance.
• Improve the practice's protocols and procedures for the use of X-ray equipment in compliance with The Ionising Radiations Regulations 2017 and Ionising Radiation (Medical Exposure) Regulations 2017 and taking into account the guidance for Dental Practitioners on the Safe Use of X-ray Equipment. In particular, they should ensure that a rectangular collimator is used with the intraoral X-ray units.