East Finchley Smiles

On this page

• Overview
• Assessing needs
• Delivering evidence-based care and treatment
• How staff, teams and services work together
• Supporting people to live healthier lives
• Monitoring and improving outcomes
• Consent to care and treatment

We found this practice was providing effective care in accordance with the relevant regulations and had taken into consideration appropriate guidance.

Find out what we look at when we assess this area in our information about our new Single assessment framework.

The judgement for Assessing needs is based on the latest evidence we assessed for the Effective key question.

The provider had systems to ensure that people who used the service received person-centred care and treatment, that was appropriate, met their needs and was reflective of their personal preferences. Preventive oral health care was encouraged.

Staff kept up-to-date with current evidence-based practice, and had the skills, knowledge and experience to carry out their roles.

The practice offered conscious sedation for patients, with the first sedation procedure having taken place on 7 May 2026, the day before the inspection. However, on the day of the inspection, information relating to the visiting clinician administering the sedation was not available for review. We did not see evidence to confirm that pre-treatment checks such as sedation needs assessments and American Society of Anaesthesiologists Physical Status Classification System (used to assess a patient’s pre-operative medical fitness before procedures involving sedation or anaesthesia) were being carried out. Furthermore, records relating to patient consent, details of medication administered, patient observations (including BMI, oxygen saturation, heart rate and blood pressure), chaperoning arrangements, and post-operative care arrangements, were not available for review. Following the inspection, the provider informed us that they were in the process of obtaining the relevant sedation documentation held by the external sedationist. Improvements were required to ensure that sedation records are contemporaneously recorded and uploaded to patients’ care records.

In addition, there was no evidence to confirm that staff providing treatment to patients under sedation had completed immediate life support training (or basic life support training plus patient assessment, airway management techniques and automated external defibrillator training).

We looked at 6 patient care records. The information recorded in these patient care records was broadly in line with recognised guidance. Improvements should be made to ensure medical history forms are always updated and Basic Periodontal Examination (BPE) scores, risk assessments, recall based on risk, radiography justification and reporting are consistently recorded.

Staff obtained patients’ consent for treatment in line with legislation and guidance and understood their responsibilities under the Mental Capacity Act 2005. Staff described how they involved patients’ relatives or carers when appropriate and made sure they had enough time to explain treatment options clearly.

The practice had systems for prescribing of medicines in line with current guidance. They carried out antimicrobial prescribing audits.

Patients were referred to primary and secondary care specialists for treatment the practice did not provide. This included referring patients with suspected cancer under the national faster diagnosis pathways.

Staff felt the practice supported them to develop and enabled them to take on responsibilities.

The judgement for How staff, teams and services work together is based on the latest evidence we assessed for the Effective key question.

The judgement for Supporting people to live healthier lives is based on the latest evidence we assessed for the Effective key question.

The judgement for Monitoring and improving outcomes is based on the latest evidence we assessed for the Effective key question.

The judgement for Consent to care and treatment is based on the latest evidence we assessed for the Effective key question.