The Care Quality Commission
  • Dentist
  • Dentist

Antwerp House Dental Practice

36 Brookfields, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB1 3NW (01223) 247690

Provided and run by:
Mr Raj Wadhwani

All Inspections

During an assessment under our new approach

We had previously undertaken an announced on-site inspection of Antwerp House Dental Practice on 4 February 2025. We found the registered provider was not providing safe or well led care and was in breach of Regulation 12 (Safe care and treatment) and Regulation 17 (Good governance) of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. The practice was issued with a warning notice for Regulation 12 and conditions were placed on the provider’s registration relating to Regulation 17.

A further inspection was carried out on 7 May 2025 to follow up on the warning notice for the breach of Regulation 12 and we found that the practice was providing safe care and treatment. However, time was still needed for the improvements to be fully embedded.

A subsequent announced inspection of Antwerp House Dental Practice was carried out on 7 April 2026 to follow up on the conditions imposed for the breach of Regulation 17, to review the actions taken by the registered provider to improve the quality of care and to assess whether the practice was meeting legal requirements. During this inspection, we found that whilst some improvements had taken place, the practice had still not met all regulations and remained in breach of Regulation 17, Good governance. The practice was issued with a warning notice.

We undertook a follow-up on-site inspection on 22 July 2026. This was carried out to review the actions taken by the registered provider to improve systems and processes relating to governance and to assess whether the practice was meeting legal requirements.

During our follow-up inspection, we found the practice had met regulations.

The practice had improved their systems to identify and manage risks and we found that the practice was now managing fire safety, equipment maintenance, medical emergencies, infection prevention and control and complaints effectively.

Recruitment procedures had been improved and reflected current legislation.

Leadership and governance at the practice had improved.

Antwerp House Dental Practice is part of Antwerp Dental Group, a dental group provider. The practice is in Cambridge and provides NHS and private dental care and treatment for adults and children.

There was step-free access to the practice and car parking spaces, including dedicated parking for disabled people, were available near the practice.

The practice had 9 treatment rooms. At the time of our inspection, the dental team consisted of 10 dentists, 4 dental hygienists, 12 dental nurses, 6 trainee dental nurses, 1 orthodontic therapist, 5 receptionists, and 1 practice manager.

The service provides cosmetic treatments, some of which are not in scope of CQC regulation and are not covered in our inspection.

During an assessment under our new approach

We had previously undertaken an announced on-site inspection of Antwerp House Dental Practice on 4 February 2025. We found the registered provider was not providing safe or well led care and was in breach of Regulation 12 (Safe care and treatment) and Regulation 17 (Good governance) of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. The practice was issued with a warning notice for Regulation 12 and conditions were placed on the provider’s registration relating to Regulation 17.

A further inspection was carried out on 7 May 2025 to follow up on the warning notice for the breach of Regulation 12 and we found that the practice was providing safe care and treatment. However, time was still needed for the improvements to be fully embedded.

We carried out an announced inspection of Antwerp House Dental Practice on 7 April 2026 to follow up on the conditions imposed for the breach of Regulation 17, to review the actions taken by the registered provider to improve the quality of care and to assess whether the practice was meeting legal requirements.

During our follow-up inspection, we found that whilst some improvements had taken place, the practice had still not met all regulations and remained in breach of Regulation 17, Good governance.

The practice had improved some systems to identify and manage risks, however further improvements were still required, especially regarding the management of fire safety, equipment maintenance, the management of medical emergencies, infection prevention and control and complaints.

Recruitment procedures did not always reflect current legislation.

We found there was still ineffective leadership and a lack of insight regarding their regulatory responsibilities.

Antwerp House Dental Practice is part of Antwerp Dental Group, a dental group provider. The practice is in Cambridge and provides NHS and private dental care and treatment for adults and children.

There was step-free access to the practice and car parking spaces, including dedicated parking for disabled people, were available near the practice.

The practice had 9 treatment rooms. At the time of our inspection, the dental team consisted of 10 dentists, 4 dental hygienists, 12 dental nurses, 6 trainee dental nurses, 1 orthodontic therapist, 5 receptionists, and 1 practice manager.

The service provides cosmetic treatments, some of which are not in scope of CQC regulation and are not covered in our inspection.

The provider was not complying with Regulation 17 Good Governance. Full details of the regulation the provider was not meeting are within the inspection findings below.

In instances where CQC has begun a process of regulatory action, we may publish this information on our website after any representations and/or appeals have been concluded, if the action has been taken forward.
 

During an assessment under our new approach

We undertook a follow-up on-site inspection on 7 May 2025. This was carried out to review the actions taken by the registered provider to improve the quality of care and to assess whether the practice was meeting legal requirements.

We had previously undertaken an announced on-site inspection of Antwerp House Dental Practice on 4 February 2025. We had found the registered provider was not providing safe or well-led care and was in breach of regulation 12 Safe care and treatment, and regulation 17 Good governance of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014.

The practice was issued with a warning notice for regulation 12 and conditions were placed on the provider’s registration relating to regulation 17. This inspection on 7 May 2025 was to follow up on the warning notice for the breach of regulation 12 only; an additional inspection will be carried out to follow up on the breach of regulation 17.

During our follow-up inspection, we found the practice was now providing safe care and treatment in accordance with regulation 12.

The practice had improved systems in place to manage risks.

Infection control procedures followed published guidance.

A culture of continuous improvement was starting to be implemented; however time was needed for this to be fully embedded.

Antwerp House Dental Practice is part of Antwerp Dental Group, a dental group provider. The practice is in Cambridge and provides NHS and private dental care and treatment for adults and children.

There was step-free access to the practice and car parking spaces were available near the practice.

The practice had 9 treatment rooms. At the time of our inspection, the dental team consisted of 5 dentists, 4 foundation dentists, 2 hygienists, 1 dental therapist, 2 orthodontic therapists, 1 periodontologist, 1 orthodontist, 9 dental nurses, 4 trainee dental nurses, 4 receptionists, 1 referrals co-ordinator, 3 administrative staff, 1 assistant practice manager and 1 practice manager.
 

During an assessment under our new approach

We carried out this announced on-site assessment on 4 February 2025.

We found the practice had not met all regulations.

Patients were treated with dignity and respect and at the time of our assessment, could access care, support and treatment when required.

Patients’ care and treatment was provided in line with current guidance and infection control procedures were generally in place.

Recruitment procedures did not always reflect current legislation.

We saw ineffective leadership without a culture of continuous improvement.

The practice did not have effective systems in place to manage all risks.

Antwerp House Dental Practice is part of Antwerp Dental Group, a dental group provider. The practice is in Cambridge and provides NHS and private dental care and treatment for adults and children.

There was step-free access to the practice and car parking spaces were available near the practice.

The practice had 9 treatment rooms. At the time of the inspection, the dental team consisted of 5 dentists, 4 foundation dentists, 3 hygienists, 1 dental therapist, 2 orthodontic therapists, 1 periodontologist, 1 orthodontist, 8 dental nurses, 5 trainee dental nurses, 4 receptionists, 1 treatment co-ordinator, 3 administrative staff and 2 practice managers.

The provider was not complying with all regulations. Full details of the regulations the provider was not meeting are within the assessment findings below.

In instances where CQC have decided to take civil or criminal enforcement action against a provider, we will publish this information on our website after any representations and/or appeals have been concluded.

31 March 2016

During a routine inspection

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 31 March 2016 to ask the practice the following key questions; Are services safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led?

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

Antwerp House Dental Practice is one of seven practices owned by Mr Raj Wadhwani and provides both private and NHS funded dental services to adults and children. In addition to general dentistry, it offers a range of procedures including dental implants, teeth whitening, facial aesthetics and anti-snoring devices. It also offers conscious sedation to very nervous patients.

The practice employs 38 full and part-time staff. This includes eight dental surgeons, five hygienists and 11 dental nurses. A range of dental specialists also visit to provide treatment including periodontists, endodontists and orthodontists. They are supported by a number of administrative and reception staff.

The practice opens from 8am to 6.30pm on a Monday; from 8am to 5pm on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays; and from 8am to 6pm on a Thursday. It is also opens on a Saturday from 8am until 4 pm. The premises consist of ten treatment rooms, two patient waiting areas, a decontamination room and various staff offices.

We spoke with three patients during our inspection and also received 19 comments cards that had been completed by patients prior to our inspection. All the comments received reflected that patients were very satisfied with the staff, the explanation of their treatment and the quality of the dentistry provided.

Our key findings were:

  • We received consistently good feedback from patients about the quality of the practice’s staff and the effectiveness of their treatment.
  • The practice had effective safeguarding processes in place and staff understood their responsibilities for safeguarding adults and children.
  • Patients’ care and treatment was planned and delivered in line with evidence based guidelines, best practice and current legislation. Patients’ dental care records provided an accurate, thorough and contemporaneous record of their care, consent and treatment.
  • The practice placed an emphasis on the promotion of good oral health.
  • The premises were clean and well maintained.
  • Infection control and decontamination procedures were robust, ensuring patients’ safety.
  • Staff had received training appropriate to their roles and were supported in their continued professional development.
  • The practice had a comprehensive schedule of clinical audit demonstrating a commitment to continuous improvement.

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

  • Review the use of CCTV cameras to ensure it meets guidance as set out in the Information Commissioner’s’ Office; In the picture: A data protection code of practice for surveillance cameras and personal information.
  • Provide signage to indicate the area where oxygen is stored, and where emergency medical equipment can be found.
  • Implement the recommendations of the practice’s Legionella assessment.
  • Obtain staff references prior to their employment and keep a record of recruitment interviews.
  • Review the practice’s protocols for conscious sedation, giving due regard to 2015 guidelines published by The Intercollegiate Advisory Committee on Sedation in Dentistry in the document 'Standards for Conscious Sedation in the Provision of Dental Care 2015, ensuring that patients’’ blood pressure is monitored.
  • Service and maintain all equipment used for conscious sedation.
  • Ensure that all staff receive regular appraisal of their working practices
  • Undertake regular checks of dental clinicians’ professional registration.
  • Cover and protect loose medical items such as local anaesthetics in treatment room drawers.
  • Review the storage of medicines requiring refrigeration to ensure they are stored in line with the manufacturer’s guidance and the fridge temperature is monitored and recorded.

2 November 2012

During a routine inspection

People we spoke with told us they were satisfied with the information provided about their treatment and they had discussed their needs and planned their care and treatment with the dentist. They told us they had been treated with respect by all the staff employed by the practice.

We found the records of people's treatment were accurate and detailed, apart from the updates that should have been recorded regarding people's health and medication. These two recordings, on the computer held care and treatment plans, had not been updated at each appointment that people had attended. This meant that it was not certain whether the dentist had enquired, or was informed about these aspects of a person's health.

Cleanliness and risks of cross infection were minimized and managed by staff who carried out appropriate and suitable decontamination of used surgical instruments.

The total refurbishment of the premises was being managed in a way that ensured the building remained clean and safe. Work had been scheduled to take place after hours, so that there was not any disruption, or an unsafe environment during the practice's opening times.