Waterloo Dental Surgery

We carried out this announced inspection on 12 December 2019 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 second CQC inspector and 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 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

Waterloo Dental Practice is in Waterloo and provides NHS and 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 for a paid fee.

The dental team includes one dentist, one dental nurse (which is currently a vacant position). At the time of the inspection there was a locum dental nurse working with the dentist. Both the dentist and the dental nurse cover reception duties. The practice has one treatment room.

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 13 CQC comment cards filled in by patients and spoke with three other patients.

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

The practice is open: 9.00am – 5.00pm Monday to Fridays

Our key findings were:

• The practice appeared to be visibly clean and well-maintained.
• The provider had infection control procedures which reflected published guidance.
• The provider had systems to help them manage risk to patients and staff.
• The provider had safeguarding processes and staff knew their responsibilities for safeguarding vulnerable adults and children.
• 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.
• The provider had effective leadership and a culture of continuous improvement.
• Staff felt involved and supported and worked as a team.
• The provider asked staff and patients for feedback about the services they provided.
• The provider dealt with complaints positively and efficiently.
• The provider had information governance arrangements.
• Key recruitment documents were not available for the locum staff member. Staff knew how to deal with emergencies. Appropriate medicines and life-saving equipment were available. However not all staff had completed recent basic life support training.

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

• Ensure specified information is available regarding each person employed.

• Ensure recruitment procedures are established and operated effectively to ensure only fit and proper persons are employed

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:

• Take action to ensure the clinicians take into account the guidance provided by the Faculty of General Dental Practice when completing dental care records.
• Implement audits for prescribing of antibiotic medicines taking into account the guidance provided by the Faculty of General Dental Practice.