Smile Dental Care Scarborough

We carried out this announced comprehensive inspection on 9 October 2023 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 practice 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 advisor.

To get to the heart of patients’ experiences of care and treatment, we always ask the following 5 questions:

• Is it safe?
• Is it effective?
• Is it caring?
• Is it responsive to people’s needs?
• Is it well-led?

These questions form the framework for the areas we look at during the inspection.

Our findings were:

• The dental clinic appeared clean and well-maintained.
• The practice had infection control procedures which reflected published guidance.
• Staff knew how to deal with medical emergencies. Appropriate medicines and life-saving equipment were available.
• The practice had systems to manage risks for patients, staff, equipment and the premises. Oversight of the practice’s Legionella management systems could be improved.
• Safeguarding processes were in place and staff knew their responsibilities for safeguarding vulnerable adults and children.
• The practice had staff recruitment procedures which reflected current legislation. Improvements could be made to ensure the induction process is robust for trainee dental nurses.
• Clinical staff provided patients’ care and treatment in line with current guidelines.
• 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.
• There was effective leadership and a culture of continuous improvement.
• Staff felt involved, supported and worked as a team.
• Staff and patients were asked for feedback about the services provided.
• Complaints were dealt with positively and efficiently.
• The practice had information governance arrangements.

Background

Smile Dental Care Scarborough is part of Smile Dental Care, a group dental provider.

The practice provides NHS and private dental care and treatment for adults and children.

There is step free access to the practice for people who use wheelchairs and those with pushchairs. Car parking spaces are available near the practice. The practice has made reasonable adjustments to support patients with access requirements.

The dental team includes 2 dentists, 3 trainee dental nurses, 1 dental hygienist, 2 receptionists and a practice manager. The practice has 5 treatment rooms (only 2 are in use at the moment). The team was supported by the group clinical director and the group operations director.

During the inspection we spoke with the clinical director, 1 trainee dental nurse, 1 receptionist and the operations director. We looked at practice policies, procedures and other records to assess how the service is managed.

The practice is open:

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 8am to 6pm

Wednesday from 10am to 8pm

Saturday and Sunday from 9am to 3pm

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

• Improve the oversight of the practice’s Legionella management system, taking into account the guidelines issued by the Department of Health in the Health Technical Memorandum 01-05: Decontamination in primary care dental practices. In particular, ensuring hot water reaches the required temperature.
• Improve the practice's induction procedures to ensure new staff are appropriately prepared with the knowledge and skills to carry out their roles.