Updated 10 January 2024
We undertook a follow up inspection of The Dental Surgery on 1 December 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 The Dental Surgery on 21 September 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 safe or well-led care and was in breach of regulations 12 and 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 The Dental Surgery 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. In addition to reviewing the improvements made since our last inspection in relation to the practice providing safe and well-led care, we also inspected the practice to ensure they were providing effective, caring and responsive care, which had not been assessed at the previous inspection.
As part of this inspection we asked:
- Is it safe?
- Is it effective?
- Is it caring?
- Is it responsive to people’s needs?
- Is it well-led?
Our findings were:
- 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.
- Staff and patients were asked for feedback about the services provided.
- Complaints were dealt with positively and efficiently.
- The practice had information governance arrangements.
Are services safe?
We found this practice was providing safe care in accordance with the relevant regulations.
The provider had made improvements in relation to the regulatory breaches we found at our inspection on 21 September 2023.
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 breaches we found at our inspection on 21 September 2023.
Background
The Dental Surgery is part of Riverdale, a dental group provider. The practice is in Stafford and provides private dental care and treatment for adults and children.
The practice is accessible for people who use wheelchairs and those with pushchairs. The practice is located close to local transport routes and car parking spaces are available near the practice. The practice has made reasonable adjustments to support patients with access requirements.
The dental team includes 6 dentists, 5 dental nurses (1 of whom is the trainee), 1 dental hygienist, 1 practice manager and 2 receptionists. The practice has 6 treatment rooms.
During the inspection we spoke with 1 dentist, 2 dental nurses, 2 receptionists, the practice manager and a practice manager from a sister practice. The group compliance lead was also at the practice. We looked at practice policies, procedures and other records to assess how the service is managed.
The practice is open:
Monday to Friday from 8:30am to 5:30pm
Saturday from 9am to 3pm
There were areas where the provider could make improvements. They should:
- Take action to ensure the clinicians take into account the guidance provided by the College of General Dentistry when completing dental care records.
- Improve the practice protocols regarding auditing patient dental care records to check that necessary information is recorded. Improve audits for prescribing of antibiotic medicines taking into account the guidance provided by the College of General Dentistry. The practice should also ensure that audits are undertaken in accordance with current guidelines; for example, in relation to the radiograph (X-ray) audit and, where appropriate, have documented learning points and the resulting improvements can be demonstrated.
- Improve the practice's systems for assessing, monitoring and mitigating the various risks arising from the undertaking of the regulated activities. In particular ensuring newly introduced protocols are fully embedded. For example, in relation to medical emergency medicines, legionella, waste management and environmental cleaning.