East Boldon Dental Practice

We carried out this announced focused inspection on 24 January 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 provider 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 three 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 practice appeared to be visibly clean.
• The provider had infection control procedures which reflected published guidance.
• Staff knew how to deal with emergencies. Appropriate medicines and life-saving equipment were not available in accordance with published guidance. Items we identified as missing were ordered by the provider within a week of the inspection.
• The provider’s systems to help manage risks to patients and staff needs improvement.
• The provider had safeguarding processes and staff knew their responsibilities for safeguarding vulnerable adults and children.
• The provider had staff recruitment procedures; these did not reflect current legislation.
• 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.
• Staff provided preventive care and supported patients to ensure better oral health.
• The appointment system took account of patients’ needs.
• The provider’s leadership and governance systems were not effective.
• The provider did not obtain patients’ feedback about the services they provided.
• The provider had information governance arrangements.

Background

East Boldon Dental Practice is in East Boldon 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 people with disabilities, are available near the practice.

The dental team includes two dentists, five dental nurses who also work in reception, and a practice manager. The practice has one treatment room.

During the inspection we spoke with one dentist, one dental nurse 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 9am to 5.30pm

Tuesday and Thursday 9am to 7pm

Wednesday 9am to 5pm

Friday 9am to 2pm.

We identified regulations the provider was not complying with. They must:

• Ensure care and treatment is provided in a safe way to patients.
• 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 is at the end of this report.

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

• Improve the practice’s sharps procedures to ensure the practice is in compliance with the Health and Safety (Sharp Instruments in Healthcare) Regulations 2013.
• Take action to ensure the clinicians take into account the guidance provided by the College of General Dentistry when completing dental care records.