Updated 8 December 2022
We undertook a follow up focused inspection of Corbets Tey Dental Practice on 28 October 2022. 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 Corbets Tey Dental Practice on 5 May 2022 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: Good Governance 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 Corbets Tey dental practice on our website www.cqc.org.uk.
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.
At the previous inspection of 5 May 2022, we only inspected three of the five key questions. This was to reduce time spent on site due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As part of this follow up inspection, we asked the following three questions which includes the two not previously inspected:
- Is it caring?
- Is it responsive?
- Is it well-led?
Our findings were:
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.
The provider had made improvements in relation to the regulatory breaches we found at our inspection on 5 May 2022.
Background
Corbets Tey Dental Practice is in Upminster in the London Borough of Havering. They provide mainly NHS and some private dental care and treatment for adults and children.
The practice operates from a high street property which was converted to accommodate a dental practice. The practice is located on the first floor of the building via a flight of stairs which leads from the ground floor. This means there is no level access to the practice for people who use wheelchairs and those with pushchairs. The practice has good links to local transportation services including London Overground Rail. It does not have a car park; however, there is enough permit free and paid parking on surrounding streets.
The dental team includes the principal dentist, a dental nurse and a receptionist. The practice has 2 treatment rooms, a waiting area and a separate decontamination room.
During the inspection we spoke with the principal dentist and the 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 from 9am to 6pm. Outside of these hours, patients are directed to NHS 111 for emergency care and treatment.
There were areas where the provider could make improvements. They should:
• Take action to ensure the clinician takes into account the guidance provided by the College of General Dentistry when completing dental care records.
• Improve the practice protocols regarding auditing patient dental care records to check that necessary information is recorded.