Updated 26 July 2023
We undertook a follow up focused inspection of Sunny Smiles Dental Innovations – Brentwood on 27 June 2023. This inspection was carried out to review the actions taken by the registered provider to improve the quality of care and to confirm that the practice was now meeting legal requirements.
The inspection was led by a CQC inspector who was supported by a specialist dental advisor.
We had previously undertaken a comprehensive inspection of Sunny Smiles Dental Innovations – Brentwood on 16 February 2023 under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. We found the registered provider was not providing well-led care and was in breach of regulation 17 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014.
You can read our report of that inspection by selecting the 'all reports' link for Sunny Smiles Dental Innovations – Brentwood dental practice on our website www.cqc.org.uk.
When 1 or more of the 5 questions are not met we require the service to make improvements and send us an action plan. We then inspect again after a reasonable interval, focusing on the areas where improvement was required.
As part of this inspection we asked:
- Is it well-led?
Our findings were:
Are services well-led?
We found this practice was providing well-led care in accordance with the relevant regulations.
The provider had made improvements in relation to the regulatory breach we found at our inspection on 27 June 2023.
Background
Sunny Smiles Dental Innovations - Brentwood is in Brentwood, Essex and provides private dental care and treatment for adults and children. The service is situated on the first floor of a high street premises. People who use wheelchairs and those with pushchairs are referred to a local sister practice with step free access. 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 1 dentist, 2 dental nurses, 1 dental hygienist, 1 practice manager, 1 cleaner and 1 receptionist. The practice has 1 treatment room.
During the inspection we spoke with the dentist and 1 dental nurse. We spoke with the practice manager remotely before the inspection. We looked at practice policies, procedures and other records to assess how the service is managed.
The practice is open:
Monday from 9am to 6pm for reception only.
Tuesday from 8.45 to 6pm for dental appointments.
Wednesday from 9am to 5pm for hygienist appointments.
Thursday from 9am to 3.30pm for dental appointments.
Friday from 9am to 4pm for reception only.
There were areas where the provider could make improvements. They should:
- Implement audits for prescribing of antibiotic medicines taking into account the guidance provided by the College of General Dentistry.
- Implement protocols for the use of closed-circuit television cameras taking into account the guidelines published by the Information Commissioner's Office.