Preston Circus Dental Practice

We carried out this unannounced inspection on 3 July 2018 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 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 that this practice was not 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 not providing well-led care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Background

Preston Circus Dental Practice is in Brighton and provides NHS and private treatment to adults and children.

There is no level access for people who use wheelchairs and those with pushchairs as the practice is accessed vis a flight of steps. Car parking spaces, including some for blue badge holders, are available near the practice.

The dental team includes three dentists, 1 dental nurse, 1 student nurse,1 dental hygienist, and 1 receptionist and the practice manager. The practice has four treatment rooms.

The practice is owned by an individual who is the principal dentist there. They have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated regulations about how the practice is run.

On the day of inspection we did not collect CQC comment cards as this inspection was unannounced. We spoke with two patients prior to our inspection.

During the inspection we spoke with two dentists, two dental nurses, 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 to Friday 9am to 5pm

Our key findings were:

• The practice staff appeared clean and well maintained.
• The practice staff did not have sufficient infection control procedures which reflected published guidance.
• Staff knew how to deal with emergencies. Appropriate medicines and life-saving equipment were available.
• The practice did not have sufficient systems to help them manage risk.
• The practice staff had suitable safeguarding processes and staff knew their responsibilities for safeguarding adults and children.
• The practice had staff recruitment procedures.
• 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.
• The practice was providing preventive care and supporting patients to ensure better oral health.
• The appointment system met patients’ needs.
• Staff felt involved and supported and worked well as a team.
• The practice asked staff and patients for feedback about the services they provided.
• The practice staff dealt with complaints positively and efficiently.
• The practice staff did not have suitable information governance arrangements.

We identified regulations the provider was not meeting. They must:

• Ensure care and treatment is provided in a safe way to patients
• Ensure all premises and equipment used by the service provider is fit for use
• Establish effective systems and processes to ensure good governance in accordance with the fundamental standards of care

Full details of the regulation/s the provider was/is not meeting are at the end of this report.