Northwick Park Dental Practice

We undertook a follow-up on-site inspection on 19 October 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.

We had previously undertaken an announced on-site inspection of Northwick Park Dental Practice on 13 March 2026. We had found the registered provider was not providing well-led care and was in breach of regulation 17 (Good governance) of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014.

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

The practice had improved systems for identifying, assessing and mitigating risks, including -the risks associated with fire and premises safety, legionella, and general health and safety.

Recruitment procedures reflected current legislation.

Staff had the skills, knowledge and experience to carry out their roles. There were systems in place to monitor training to ensure appropriate action can be taken quickly when training requirements were not being met.

There were improved systems in place for governance, oversight and continuous improvement.

The practice is located on the ground floor of Northwick Park Hospital 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 available within the hospital grounds, including dedicated parking for disabled people.

The practice had 3 treatment rooms.At the time of our inspection, there was a total of 12 staff, of which there was the principal dentist, 2 dentists, 3 qualified dental nurses, 2 trainee dental nurses, 3 dental hygienists and the practice manager. We gathered feedback from staff and spoke with the principal dentist and the practice manager.

We carried out this announced inspection on 13 March 2026.

We found the practice had not met all regulations.

The practice did not have effective systems to manage risks. Improvements were needed to how the practice assessed and mitigated the risks associated with fire, legionella, and general health and safety.

The practice recruitment procedures did not always reflect current legislation.

Staff had the skills, knowledge and experience to carry out their roles. However, improvements were required to ensure systems in place to monitor staff training were effective.

Although the practice had some systems in place to support continuous improvement, there was a lack of effective leadership.

Infection control procedures reflected published guidance.

Staff provided care and treatment in line with current guidance. They treated patients with dignity and respect and ensured access to care, support, and treatment when required.

The practice is located on the ground floor of Northwick Park Hospital 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 available within the hospital grounds, including dedicated parking for disabled people.

The practice had 3 treatment rooms. At the time of our inspection, there was a total of 16 staff, of which there were 5 dentists, 4 qualified dental nurses, 2 trainee dental nurses, 3 dental hygienists, 1 receptionist and the practice manager. We gathered feedback from staff and spoke to a range of staff during our inspection, including the principal dentist, 1 associate dentist, 1 dental hygienist, 1 dental nurse, 1 receptionist and the 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) of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. Full details of the regulation the provider was not meeting are within the inspection report.

We have asked the provider for an action plan in response to the concerns found at this inspection.