Archived: Mr Muhammad Darr - Upper Wickham Lane

We carried out this announced inspection on 25 May 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 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 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

Mr Muhammad Darr – Upper Wickham Lane is in Welling, in the London Borough of Bexley. It provides NHS and private treatment to patients of all ages.

There is no level access for people who use wheelchairs and pushchairs, though the practice has a stair lift. Car parking spaces, including those for patients with disabled badges, are available near the practice.

The dental team includes six dentists, a receptionist, five dental nurses (one of whom also works as a receptionist), two trainee dental nurses, two dental hygienists, and a practice co-ordinator who also works as a receptionist.

The practice is owned by an individual who is the principal dentist there. They have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated regulations about how the practice is run.

On the day of inspection we collected 31 CQC comment cards filled in by patients. This information gave us a positive view of the practice.

During the inspection we spoke with a dentist, two dental nurses, and two receptionists. We looked at practice policies and procedures and other records about how the service is managed.

The practice is open Monday to Thursday from 8.30am to 12.30pm and 2pm to 5pm, and on Fridays from 8.30am to 1pm and 2pm to 4.30pm.

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 emergencies. Appropriate medicines and life-saving equipment were available.
• The practice had systems to help them manage risk.
• The practice had suitable safeguarding processes and staff knew their responsibilities for safeguarding adults and children.
• The practice had thorough staff recruitment procedures.
• 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.
• The appointment system met patients’ needs.
• The practice had effective leadership. Staff felt involved and supported and worked well as a team.
• The practice asked staff and patients for feedback about the services they provided.
• The practice dealt with complaints positively and efficiently.
• Staff had completed a range of key training, though improvements could be made to ensure all staff received fire safety training.
• Electronic dental care records were well-written, though improvements could be made to the detail of information written on paper dental care records.

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

• Review the training needs of staff members to ensure they receive fire safety training.

• Review the practice's protocols for completion of dental care records taking into account guidance provided by the Faculty of General Dental Practice regarding clinical examinations and record keeping.

• Review the current staffing arrangements to ensure all dental care professionals are adequately supported by a trained member of the dental team when treating patients in a dental setting taking into account the guidance issued by the General Dental Council.

• Review the staff supervision protocols and ensure an effective process is established for the on-going appraisal of all staff