Temple Square Dental

We carried out this announced focused inspection on 7 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 and well-maintained.
• The provider had infection control procedures which reflected published guidance.
• Staff knew how to deal with emergencies.
• Appropriate medicines and life-saving equipment were available.
• Improvements were needed to ensure fire safety management checks were carried out correctly.
• The provider had safeguarding processes and staff knew their responsibilities for safeguarding vulnerable adults and children.
• The provider had staff recruitment procedures which reflected current legislation.
• The clinical staff provided patients’ care and treatment in line with current guidelines.
• Improvements were needed to ensure dispensed medicines were labelled appropriately.
• 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.
• Improvements were needed to ensure that appropriate quality assurance measures were in place for the use of the Cone Beam Computed Tomography scanner (CBCT).
• The provider had effective leadership and a culture of continuous improvement.
• Staff felt involved and supported and worked as a team.
• The provider asked staff and patients for feedback about the services they provided.
• The provider dealt with complaints positively and efficiently.
• The provider had information governance arrangements.

Background

Temple Square Dental is in Aylesbury and provides private dental care and treatment for adults and children and NHS dental care and treatment for children.

The practice has a stepped entrance. Prospective patients are advised of this when they contact the practice. On street car parking spaces, including dedicated parking for disabled people, are available near the practice.

The dental team includes seven dentists, one periodontist, four dental nurses, three trainee dental nurses, two dental hygienists, two receptionists and a practice manager who is also a registered nurse. The practice has four treatment rooms.

During the inspection we spoke with two dentists, one nurse, one receptionist and the practice manager. We also obtained the views of a further seven staff working on the day of our visit.

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

The practice is open:

• Monday 8am – 7pm
• Tuesday 8am – 5pm
• Wednesday 8am – 6.30pm
• Thursday 8am – 5pm
• Friday 8am – 4pm
• Saturday 9am – 1pm

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

• Review the practice's protocols for medicines management and ensure all medicines are dispensed safely.
• Review the systems for checking and monitoring fire detection equipment taking into account current national guidance and ensure that all equipment is inspected at the correct interval.
• Review the practice’s protocols for the use of closed-circuit television cameras (CCTV) taking into account guidelines published by the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO).
• Ensure the practice takes into account HPA-CRCE-010 Guidance on the Safe Use of Dental Cone Beam CT (Computed Tomography) Equipment in having quality assurance measures for the use of the Cone Beam Computed Tomography scanner (CBCT).