Archived: Acorn Dental Practice

We carried out this announced focused inspection on 7 November 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 asked the following 3 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:

• The dental clinic was visibly clean and well-maintained.
• 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 clinical staff provided patients’ care and treatment in line with current guidelines.
• The practice had infection prevention and control procedures which did not fully reflect published guidance.
• Systems were in place for staff to deal with medical emergencies. Appropriate medicines were available. Improvements could be made to ensure the medicine fridge was used appropriately in line with guidance.
• Not all of the required medical emergency equipment was in place.
• Risk management systems could be improved in relation to staff immunity to vaccine preventable infectious diseases, the management of dental sharps, hazardous substances and incident reporting.
• 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.
• Systems to ensure staff training was in place could be improved.
• The appointment system took account of patients’ needs.
• Leadership, oversight and management could be improved.
• The practice had systems for continuous improvement; some audits were not reflected accurately.
• Systems to ensure equipment and facilities were being maintained and serviced appropriately could be improved.
• Staff felt involved and supported and worked as a team.
• Staff and patients were asked for feedback about the services provided.
• The dental clinic had information governance arrangements.

Background

Acorn Dental Practice is in Acomb, York and provides 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 dental team includes 2 dentists, 2 qualified dental nurses, 2 trainee dental nurses, 1 dental hygienist, 1 dental therapist and 1 receptionist. The team is supported by the practice manager who was also a qualified dental nurse. The practice has 4 treatment rooms.

During the inspection we spoke with 2 dentists, 2 dental nurses, the dental therapist 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 from 8:45am to 5:30pm

Saturday from 8:45am to 12pm (generally 2 per month except for July and August)

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 regulation 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.
• Implement an effective system for responding to patient safety alerts, recalls and rapid response reports issued by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, the Central Alerting System and other relevant bodies, such as Public Health England.
• Take action to ensure effective systems are in place to monitor when staff have undertaken continuous professional development as recommended by the General Dental Council professional standards.