The Care Quality Commission
  • Dentist
  • Dentist

The Staffordshire Dental Clinic

Church Street, Uttoxeter, Staffordshire, ST14 8AF (01889) 562109

Provided and run by:
Dr Irfan Khan

All Inspections

8 June 2023

During a routine inspection

We carried out this announced comprehensive inspection on 8 May 2023 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 advisor.

To get to the heart of patients’ experiences of care and treatment, we always ask the following 5 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 appeared clean and well-maintained.
  • The practice had infection control procedures which reflected published guidance.
  • Staff knew how to deal with medical emergencies. Appropriate medicines and life-saving equipment were available.
  • The practice had systems to manage risks for patients, staff, equipment and the premises. We found scope for improvement in the management of fire risk and recording of legionella checks.
  • 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.
  • Clinical staff provided patients’ care and treatment in line with current guidelines.
  • Patients were treated with dignity and respect. Staff took care to protect patients’ privacy and personal information.
  • Staff provided preventive care and supported patients to ensure better oral health.
  • The appointment system worked efficiently to respond to patients’ needs.
  • The frequency of appointments was agreed between the dentist and the patient, giving due regard to National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines.
  • There was effective leadership and a culture of continuous improvement.
  • Staff felt involved, 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 practice had information governance arrangements.

Background

The Staffordshire Dental Clinic is in Uttoxeter in Staffordshire and provides private dental care and treatment for adults and children.

There is step free 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 access requirements.

The dental team includes 6 dentists, 11 dental nurses, 2 trainee dental nurses, 3 dental hygienists, 1 practice manager and 4 receptionists. The practice has 7 treatment rooms.

During the inspection we spoke with 3 dentists, 3 dental nurses, 2 receptionists and the practice manager. We looked at practice policies, procedures and other records to assess how the service is managed.

The practice is open:

Monday to Thursday from 9am to 5pm

Friday from 9am to 1pm

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

  • Take action to implement any recommendations in the practice's fire safety risk assessment and ensure ongoing fire safety management is effective.

14 May 2013

During a routine inspection

We carried out this inspection to check on the care and welfare of people using the service. Our inspection was arranged two days in advance. This was to ensure we had time to see and speak with the staff, as well as people registered with the service. We consulted the local clinical commissioning group (CCG) who used to be known as the primary care trust (PCT) prior to our inspection, and reviewed the Choices NHS website. At the time of our inspection there were no comments available.

We spoke with the practice manager, three dentists, three dental nurses and four people who attended appointments. We looked at treatment records and associated documents to find evidence that treatment needs had been met.

Everyone we spoke with told us they had the right amount of information to make a decision about their treatment options. People informed us they were treated in a polite and respectful way.

We saw effective cleaning systems were in place to ensure people's health was protected against the risk of acquiring infection.

We looked at medication management and saw that suitable systems were in place to manage medicines.

People were protected from unsuitable staff because appropriate checks had been carried out. The staff were trained to provide people with the appropriate care and dental treatment.

We checked records were stored safely and correctly and found systems were as required. This ensured people's confidential information was stored appropriately.