Chester Road Dental Practice

We carried out this announced inspection on 2 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 always ask the following three questions:

• 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 providing well-led care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Background

Chester Road Dental Practice is in Sunderland and provides NHS and private dental care and treatment for adults and children.

The entrance to the practice is stepped, so help is provided for people who need it, such as those with pushchairs or in wheelchairs. Car parking spaces are available near the practice.

The dental team includes seven dentists, seven dental nurses, one dental hygienist and one receptionist. A group manager and practice manager oversee governance of the practice. The practice has five treatment rooms, three of which are located on the ground floor.

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 Chester Road Dental Practice is one of the principal dentists.

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

The practice is open:

Monday to Thursday 9am to 5.30pm and Friday 9am to 5pm.

Our key findings were:

• The practice appeared to be visibly clean and well-maintained.
• The provider had infection control procedures which reflected published guidance, with the exception of storage of sterilised dental instruments and routine testing for the ultrasonic cleaning machine.
• The provider had implemented standard operating procedures in line with national guidance on COVID-19.
• Staff knew how to deal with emergencies. Appropriate medicines and life-saving equipment were not available in line with guidance. We saw evidence that these were ordered on the inspection day.
• The provider’s systems to manage risks to patients and staff needed to be improved. .
• 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.
• 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:

• Take action to ensure that all clinical staff have adequate immunity for vaccine preventable infectious diseases.
• Improve the practice's processes for the control of substances hazardous to health identified by the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002, to ensure risk assessments are undertaken for all hazardous substances in the dental practice.
• Improve the security of NHS prescription pads in the practice and ensure there are systems in place to track and monitor their use.
• Implement a system to ensure patient referrals to other dental or health care professionals are centrally monitored to ensure they are received in a timely manner and not lost.
• Implement an effective system for identifying, disposing and replenishing of out-of-date stock.