Updated 22 February 2023
We undertook a follow up focused inspection of Chronos London Dental Clinic on 6 January 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 and a CQC clinical fellow.
We had previously undertaken a comprehensive inspection of Chronos London Dental Clinic on 11 November 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 safe and well-led care and was in breach of regulations 12,13,17 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 Chronos London Dental Clinic dental practice 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 safe?
- Is it effective?
- Is it caring?
- Is it responsive to people’s needs?
- Is it well-led?
Due to the nature of concerns identified during the follow up inspection on 6 January 2023, we undertook immediate enforcement action and the provider’s CQC registration to undertake the regulated activities was suspended for a period of 6 months.
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 responded to the regulatory breaches we found at our inspection on 11 November 2022. In addition, we identified new concerns during the follow up inspection on 6 January 2023.
Are services effective?
We found this practice was not providing effective care in accordance with the relevant regulations.
We identified new concerns during the follow up inspection on 6 January 2023.
Are services caring?
We found this practice was not providing caring services in accordance with the relevant regulations.
We identified new concerns during the follow up inspection on 6 January 2023.
Are services responsive?
We found this practice was not providing responsive care in accordance with the relevant regulations.
We identified new concerns during the follow up inspection on 6 January 2023.
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 responded to the regulatory breaches we found at our inspection on 11 November 2022. In addition, we identified new concerns during the follow up inspection on 6 January 2023.
Background
Chronos London Dental Clinic is in Kensal Rise, in the London Borough of Brent, and provides NHS and private dental care and treatment for adults and children.
The practice is located close to public transport links and car parking spaces are available nearby.
The dental team includes the principal dentist, 1 associate dentist, 1 qualified dental nurse, and 1 trainee dental nurse. The practice has 2 treatment rooms and a separate decontamination room.
During the inspection we spoke with the principal dentist, the qualified dental nurse, and the trainee dental nurse. We looked at practice policies and procedures and other records about how the service is managed.
The practice is open:
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday 9am to 5pm.
The practice is closed for lunch between 1pm and 2pm.
We identified regulations the provider was not meeting. They must:
- Ensure care and treatment is provided in a safe way to patients.
- Ensure that care and treatment of patients is only provided with the consent of the relevant person.
- Establish effective systems and processes to ensure good governance in accordance with the fundamental standards of care.