Luton House Dental Practice

We carried out this announced comprehensive inspection on 6 September 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 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:

• 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. Not all appropriate medicines and life-saving equipment were available. Missing items were ordered on the day of inspection.
• The practice had systems to help them manage risk to patients and staff.
• Safeguarding processes were in place and staff knew their responsibilities for safeguarding vulnerable adults and children.
• The practice had staff recruitment procedures which reflected current legislation.
• 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.
• A practice manager had been newly appointed. Staff confirmed that they had been receiving support from the manager from another local Roderick’s practice and from area managers. 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.

Background

The provider has 144 practices and this report is about Luton House Dental Practice. Luton House Dental Practice is in Luton 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, including dedicated parking for disabled people, are available near the practice. The practice has made reasonable adjustments to support patients with additional needs.

The dental team includes three dentists, two dental nurses, three receptionists and a practice manager. The practice has four treatment rooms.

During the inspection we spoke with a dental nurse, a receptionist and two compliance managers employed by Rodericks. The newly employed practice manager was also in attendance at this inspection.

We looked at practice policies and procedures and other records about how the service is managed.

The practice is open:

Monday to Sunday from 8am to 8pm.

The practice had taken steps to improve environmental sustainability. For example, staff were encouraged to recycle as much as possible. Lighting in all treatment rooms had motion detectors so automatically turned on when entering the room and turned off when there was nobody in the room. Patient invoices were now sent out by email and the practice were moving to a digital format for all of their staff information including policies and procedures.

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

• Improve the practice's systems for checking and monitoring equipment taking into account relevant guidance and ensure that all equipment is well maintained. In particular ensure information from the data logger is downloaded and logged to demonstrate that the autoclave is working within the required parameters.