The Care Quality Commission
  • Dentist
  • Dentist

Safe Dental

32 Commercial Street, Morley, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS27 8HL (0113) 252 5428

Provided and run by:
S A Harrison Laboratories Limited

All Inspections

07 November 2022

During an inspection looking at part of the service

We undertook a follow up focused inspection of Safe Dental on 7 November 2022. This inspection was carried out to review in detail 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 dental adviser.

We undertook a comprehensive inspection of Safe Dental on 6 June 2022 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 Safe Dental 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 6 June 2022.

Background

Safe Dental is in Morley and provides private dental care and treatment for adults and children.

There is level access to the practice for people who use wheelchairs and those with pushchairs. Car parking spaces, including dedicated parking for disabled people, are available near the practice.

The dental team includes 2 dentists, 1 dental hygienist and therapist, 1 trainee dental nurse, 1 receptionist and 1 practice manager (who is also a qualified dental nurse). The practice has one treatment room.

During the inspection we spoke with the practice manager. We looked at practice policies and procedures and other records about how the service is managed.

The practice is open:

Monday and Tuesday from 9am to 5pm

Wednesday from 9am to 7:30pm

Thursday from 8am to 5pm

Friday from 8am to 6pm

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

  • Improve the practice's processes for the control of substances hazardous to health identified by the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002, to ensure risk assessments are undertaken.

06 June 2022

During a routine inspection

We carried out this announced focused inspection on 6 June 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 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 adviser.

To get to the heart of patients’ experiences of care and treatment, we usually ask five key questions, however due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and to reduce time spent on site, only the following three questions were asked:

• 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 dental clinic was visibly clean.
  • The practice had infection control procedures which reflected published guidance.
  • Staff knew how to deal with medical emergencies. The system to check the contents of the medical emergency kit was not working effectively.
  • The systems to help them manage risk to patients and staff were not all effective.
  • 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.
  • The clinical staff provided patients’ care and treatment in line with current guidelines.
  • Staff provided preventive care and supported patients to ensure better oral health.
  • Staff felt involved and supported and worked as a team.
  • Staff and patients were asked for feedback about the services provided.
  • The dental clinic had information governance arrangements.

Background

Safe Dental is in Morley and provides private dental care and treatment for adults and children.

There is level access to the practice for people who use wheelchairs and those with pushchairs. Car parking spaces, including dedicated parking for disabled people, are available near the practice.

The dental team includes two dentists, a dental hygienist and therapist, a trainee dental nurse, a receptionist and a practice manager (who is also a qualified dental nurse). The practice has one treatment room.

During the inspection we spoke with one dental nurse and the practice manager. We looked at practice policies and procedures and other records about how the service is managed.

The practice is open:

Monday and Tuesday from 9:00am to 5:00pm

Wednesday from 9:00am to 7:30pm

Thursday from 8:00am to 5:00pm

Friday from 8:00am to 6:00pm

We identified regulations the provider was not complying with. They must:

  • Establish effective systems and processes to ensure good governance in accordance with the fundamental standards of care.

Full details of the regulation the provider was not meeting are at the end of this report.

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.

21 June 2021

During an inspection looking at part of the service

We undertook an unannounced follow up focused inspection of Safe Dental on 21 June 2021. This inspection was carried out to review in detail 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 adviser.

We undertook a follow up focused inspection of Safe Dental on 16 April 2021 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 Safe Dental on our website www.cqc.org.uk.

As part of this inspection we asked:

• Is it safe?

• Is it well-led?

Our findings were:

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 16 April 2021.

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/es we found at our inspection on 16 April 2021.

Background

Safe Dental is in Morley, Leeds and provides private dental care and treatment for adults and children.

There is level access to the practice for people who use wheelchairs and those with pushchairs. Car parking spaces are available near the practice.

The dental team includes five dentists (one who also works as a dental nurse), a dental hygienist and therapist (who also works as a dental nurse), a dental nurse, a practice manager and a clinical dental technician. The practice has one treatment room.

The practice is owned by a company and as a condition of registration must have a person registered with the CQC as the registered manager. Registered managers have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated regulations about how the practice is run. The registered managers at Safe Dental are the clinical dental technician and the practice manager.

During the inspection we spoke with one dentist and the practice manager. We looked at practice policies and procedures and other records about how the service is managed.

The practice is open:

Monday to Saturday variable hours

Our key findings were:

  • Further improvements had been made to the system for managing the risks associated with fire.
  • Improvements had been made to the recruitment procedures.
  • Improvements had been made to the system for managing emergency medicines and equipment.
  • Improvements had been made to the system for managing the risks associated with Legionella.

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

  • Continue to declutter the basement to further reduce the risks associated with fire.

16 April 2021

During an inspection looking at part of the service

We undertook an unannounced follow up focused inspection of Safe Dental on 16 April 2021 and continued remotely on 20 April 2021. This inspection was carried out to review in detail 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 adviser.

We undertook a follow up focused inspection of Safe Dental on 18 December 2020 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 Safe Dental on our website www.cqc.org.uk.

As part of this inspection we asked:

• Is it safe?

• Is it well-led?

When one or more of the five 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.

The provider did not submit an action plan as required to do so under Regulation 17(3) of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. This was required to be submitted to the CQC by 11 March 2021.

Our findings were:

Are services safe?

We found this practice was not providing safe care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

The provider had made insufficient improvements to put right the shortfalls we had identified and had not responded to the regulatory breaches we found at our inspection on 18 December 2020.

Are services well-led?

We found this practice was not providing well-led care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

The provider had made insufficient improvements to put right the shortfalls we had identified and had not responded to the regulatory breaches we found at our inspection on 18 December 2020.

Background

Safe Dental is in Morley, Leeds and provides private dental care and treatment for adults and children.

There is level access to the practice for people who use wheelchairs and those with pushchairs. Car parking spaces are available near the practice.

The dental team includes five dentists (one who also works as a dental nurse), a dental hygienist and therapist (who also works as a dental nurse), a dental nurse, a practice manager and a clinical dental technician. The practice has one treatment room.

The practice is owned by a company and as a condition of registration must have a person registered with the CQC as the registered manager. Registered managers have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated regulations about how the practice is run. The registered manager at Safe Dental is the clinical dental technician.

During the inspection we spoke with the registered manager, one dentist and the dental hygienist and therapist. We also spoke with the practice manager on 20 April 2021. We looked at practice policies and procedures and other records.

The practice is open:

Monday to Friday variable hours

Our key findings were:

  • Some improvements had been made to the risks associated with fire.
  • There was evidence Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks were available for newly recruited members of staff. Not all other recruitment documents were available for a new member of staff.
  • Some medical emergency medicines had passed their expiry date and had not been replaced.
  • The risks associated with Legionella had not been appropriately addressed.
  • Systems and processes had not been implemented to ensure the risks associated with the carrying out of the regulated activities are managed effectively.

We identified regulations the provider was not meeting. They must:

  • Ensure care and treatment is provided in a safe way to patients.
  • Establish effective systems and processes to ensure good governance in accordance with the fundamental standards of care.

Full details of the regulations the provider is not meeting are at the end of this report.

18 December 2020

During an inspection looking at part of the service

We undertook a follow up focused inspection of Safe Dental on 18 December 2020. This inspection was carried out to review in detail 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 adviser.

We undertook a follow up focused inspection of Safe Dental on 23 September 2020 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, 17 and 19 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 Safe Dental on our website www.cqc.org.uk.

As part of this inspection we asked:

• Is it safe?

• Is it well-led?

Our findings were:

Are services safe?

We found this practice was not providing safe care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

The provider had made improvements to comply with the conditions of registration which we imposed after the inspection on 23 September 2020, however, insufficient improvements had been made to ensure compliance with the Regulations.

Are services well-led?

We found this practice was not providing well-led care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

The provider had made improvements to comply with the conditions of registration which we imposed after the inspection on 23 September 2020, however, insufficient improvements had been made to ensure compliance with the Regulations.

Background

Safe Dental is in Morley and provides private dental care and treatment for adults and children.

There is level access to the practice for people who use wheelchairs and those with pushchairs. Car parking spaces are available near the practice.

The dental team includes four dentists, a dental hygienist and therapist, a dental nurse, a receptionist, a clinical dental technician and a marketing assistant. The practice has one treatment room.

The practice is owned by a company and as a condition of registration must have a person registered with the CQC as the registered manager. Registered managers have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated regulations about how the practice is run. The registered manager at Safe Dental is the clinical dental technician.

During the inspection we spoke with the clinical dental technician, the dental nurse, one dentist and the dental hygienist and therapist. We looked at practice policies and procedures and other records.

The practice is open:

Monday to Friday variable hours

Our key findings were:

  • Improvements had been made to the systems for managing the risks associated with fire and Legionella. Further improvements could be made.
  • Systems and processes to manage the risks associated with Covid-19 reflected nationally recognised guidance.
  • Improvements had been made to the recruitment process. Further improvements could be made to the process for obtaining an up to date Disclosure and Barring Service check for new staff.
  • Further improvements were required to governance processes to ensure compliance. In particular, the oversight of medical emergency arrangements and recruitment processes.

We identified regulations the provider was not meeting. They must:

  • Ensure care and treatment is provided in a safe way to patients.
  • Establish effective systems and processes to ensure good governance in accordance with the fundamental standards of care.

Full details of the regulations the provider is not meeting are at the end of this report.

23 September 2020

During an inspection looking at part of the service

We undertook a follow up inspection of Safe Dental on 23 September 2020. This inspection was carried out to review in detail 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 adviser.

We undertook a comprehensive inspection of Safe Dental on 20 January 2020 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 Safe Dental on our website www.cqc.org.uk.

As part of this inspection we asked:

• Is it safe?

• Is it well-led?

When one or more of the five 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. The provider had not submitted an action plan prior to the inspection on 23 September 2020. An action plan was present on the day of inspection.

Our findings were:

Are services safe?

We found this practice was not providing safe care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

The provider had made insufficient improvements to put right the shortfalls and had not completely responded to the regulatory breaches we found at our inspection on 20 January 2020.

Are services well-led?

We found this practice was not providing well-led care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

The provider had made insufficient improvements to put right the shortfalls and had not completely responded to the regulatory breaches we found at our inspection on 20 January 2020.

Background

Safe Dental is in Morley and provides private dental care and treatment for adults and children.

There is level access to the practice for people who use wheelchairs and those with pushchairs. Car parking spaces are available near the practice.

The dental team includes four dentists, a dental nurse, a receptionist, a clinical dental technician and a marketing assistant. The practice has one treatment room.

The practice is owned by a company and as a condition of registration must have a person registered with the CQC as the registered manager. Registered managers have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated regulations about how the practice is run. The registered manager at Safe Dental is the clinical dental technician.

During the inspection we spoke with the registered manager, the dental nurse and the receptionist. We looked at practice policies and procedures and other records.

The practice is open:

Monday to Friday variable hours

Our key findings were:

  • Recommendations and urgent actions from the Legionella risk assessment, fire alarm service and emergency lighting service report had not been acted upon.
  • Systems and processes in place to reduce the risks associated with Covid-19 did not reflect nationally recognised guidance and the justification to not follow guidance was not provided to us.
  • Systems and processes had not been implemented to ensure good governance was maintained. These included the auditing of infection control processes and systems to ensure staff had adequate levels of indemnity and emergency resuscitation equipment was within its use by date.

We identified regulations the provider was not meeting. They must:

  • Ensure care and treatment is provided in a safe way to patients.
  • Ensure all premises and equipment used by the service provider is fit for use.
  • Establish effective systems and processes to ensure good governance in accordance with the fundamental standards of care.
  • Send CQC a written report setting out what governance arrangements are in place and any plans to make improvements

Full details of the regulations the provider is not meeting are at the end of this report.

20 January 2020

During a routine inspection

We carried out this announced inspection on 20 January 2020 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 always ask the following five 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:

Are services safe?

We found this practice was not providing safe care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Are services effective?

We found this practice was providing effective care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Are services caring?

We found this practice was providing caring services in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Are services responsive?

We found this practice was providing responsive care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Are services well-led?

We found this practice was not providing well-led care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Background

Safe Dental is in Morley and provides private dental care and treatment for adults and children. The practice offers conscious sedation

There is level access to the practice for people who use wheelchairs and those with pushchairs. Car parking spaces are available near the practice.

The dental team includes three dentists, a dental nurse, a receptionist and a clinical dental technician. The practice has one treatment room.

The practice is owned by a company and as a condition of registration must have a person registered with the CQC as the registered manager. Registered managers have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated regulations about how the practice is run. The registered manager at Safe Dental is the clinical dental technician.

On the day of inspection, we collected 24 CQC comment cards filled in by patients. These provided a positive view of the service.

During the inspection we spoke with one dentists, the dental nurse, the receptionist and the registered manager. We looked at practice policies and procedures and other records about how the service is managed.

The practice is open:

Monday to Friday variable hours

Our key findings were:

  • The practice appeared to be visibly clean.
  • The provider had infection control procedures which reflected published guidance.
  • Staff had received training in how to deal with emergencies. The medical emergency medicines did not reflect nationally recognised guidance.
  • Risks associated with the carrying out of the regulated activities were not well managed.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Systems and processes were not embedded to ensure risks were appropriately managed.
  • Staff felt involved and supported and worked as a team.
  • The provider asked patients for feedback about the services they provided.
  • The provider had information governance arrangements.

We identified regulations the provider was not complying with. They must:

  • Ensure care and treatment is provided in a safe way to patients.
  • Establish effective systems and processes to ensure good governance in accordance with the fundamental standards of care.

Full details of the regulations the provider was not meeting are at the end of this report.

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

  • Improve and develop staff awareness of the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and ensure all staff are aware of their responsibilities under the Act as it relates to their role.
  • Take action to ensure the service is registered with the Health and Safety Executive to use ionising radiation to be compliant with the Ionising Radiations Regulations 2017 (IRR17).

21 July 2017

During a routine inspection

We carried out this announced inspection on 21 July 2017 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 CQC inspector who was supported by a specialist dental adviser.

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

Are services safe?

We found that this practice was providing safe care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Are services effective?

We found that this practice was providing effective care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Are services caring?

We found that this practice was providing caring services in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Are services responsive?

We found that this practice was providing responsive care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Are services well-led?

We found that this practice was providing well-led care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Background

Safe Dental is in the Morley area of Leeds, West Yorkshire and provides private treatment to adults and children. Treatments include general dentistry, dental implants and conscious sedation.

There is level access for people who use wheelchairs and pushchairs. Car parking spaces, including one for patients with a disabled badge are available near the practice.

The dental team includes two dentists, a trainee dental nurse, a clinical dental technician (who is the practice manager) and an assistant practice manager. The practice has one treatment room.

The practice is owned by a company and as a condition of registration must have a person registered with the Care Quality Commission as the registered manager. Registered managers have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated regulations about how the practice is run. The registered manager at Safe Dental was the clinical dental technician.

On the day of inspection we collected 23 CQC comment cards filled in by patients. This information gave us a positive view of the practice.

During the inspection we spoke with one dentist, the trainee dental nurse, the assistant practice manager and the registered manager. We looked at practice policies and procedures and other records about how the service is managed.

The practice is open:

Monday and Wednesday from 7:00am to 5:00pm

Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 9:00am to 5:00pm

Dentists only work on Monday, Wednesday and Friday

Our key findings were:

  • The practice was clean and well maintained.
  • The practice had infection control procedures which reflected published guidance.
  • Staff knew how to deal with medical emergencies. Minor adjustments could be made to the emergency equipment.
  • The practice had some systems in place to manage risk. Improvements could be made to those relating to fire and sharps.
  • The practice had suitable safeguarding processes and staff knew their responsibilities for safeguarding adults and children.
  • The practice had staff recruitment procedures. Minor improvements could be made to these.
  • The clinical staff provided patients’ care and treatment in line with current guidelines.
  • Staff treated patients with dignity and respect and took care to protect their privacy and personal information.
  • There was not a system in place to ensure staff were up to date with training as recommended by the General Dental Council.
  • The practice asked patients for feedback about the services they provided.

There were areas where the provider could make improvements and should:

  • Review the availability of equipment to manage medical emergencies giving due regard to guidelines issued by the Standing Dental Advisory Committee: conscious sedation in the provision of dental care “Report of an expert group on sedation for dentistry”.
  • Review the practice’s sharps procedures giving due regard to the Health and Safety (Sharp Instruments in Healthcare) Regulations 2013.
  • Review the practice’s process for ensuring equipment is serviced in line with manufacturer’s guidance.
  • Review the system for ensuring fire safety checks are completed regularly.
  • Review the storage of digital dental care records to ensure they are backed up securely.
  • Review the practice's recruitment policy and procedures to ensure character references for new staff are requested and recorded suitably.
  • Review the protocols and procedures to ensure staff are up to date with their training and their Continuing Professional Development.