Belle Vue Practice

We carried out this announced comprehensive inspection on 27 February 2023 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 practice 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 advisor.

To get to the heart of patients’ experiences of care and treatment, we always ask the following 5 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:

• Safeguarding processes were in place and staff knew their responsibilities for safeguarding vulnerable adults and children.
• The practice had staff recruitment procedures which reflected current legislation.
• Patients were treated with dignity and respect. Staff took care to protect patients’ privacy and personal information.
• Staff provided preventive care and supported patients to ensure better oral health.
• The appointment system worked efficiently to respond to patients’ needs.
• The frequency of appointments was agreed between the dentist and the patient, giving due regard to National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines.
• The dental clinic appeared clean and well-maintained.
• Staff felt involved, supported and worked as a team.
• Staff and patients were asked for feedback about the services provided.
• Complaints were dealt with positively and efficiently.
• The practice had information governance arrangements.
• Improvements were needed so the dentist reviewed current guidelines in relation to patients’ care and treatment.
• The practice had infection control procedures.
• Staff knew how to deal with medical emergencies. Improvements were required to ensure all appropriate medicines and life-saving equipment were available.
• Improvements were needed to the practice systems to manage risks for patients, staff, equipment and the premises.
• Improvements were needed to leadership and a culture to support continuous improvement.

Background

Belle Vue Practice is in Benfleet, Essex and provides private dental care and treatment for adults and children.

Car parking spaces, including dedicated parking for disabled people, are available near the practice.

The dental team includes 1 dentist, 2 dental nurses who also cover reception duties. The practice has 2 treatment rooms, 1 of which is in use for dental treatments.

During the inspection we spoke with the dentist and both dental nurses. We looked at practice policies, procedures and other records to assess how the service is managed.

The practice is open:

9am to 6pm on Mondays and Tuesdays

9am to 8pm on Wednesdays

9am to 2pm on Fridays.

The practice is closed on Thursdays and Saturdays

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

• Establish effective systems and processes to ensure good governance in accordance with the fundamental standards of care

Full details of the regulation the provider was/is not meeting are at the end of this report.

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

• Improve the practice protocols regarding auditing patient dental care records to check that necessary information is recorded.
• Take action to ensure the clinicians take into account the guidance provided by the College of General Dentistry when completing dental care records
• Implement a system to ensure patient referrals to other dental or health care professionals are centrally monitored to ensure they are received in a timely manner and not lost.