Updated 12 December 2022
We undertook a follow up focused inspection of Dr Alec Waugh and Associates Dental Surgeons on 15 November 2022. This inspection was carried out to review in detail 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 adviser.
We undertook a comprehensive inspection of Dr Alec Waugh and Associates Dental Surgeons on 12 April 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 well-led care and was in breach of regulation 17 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 Dr Alec Waugh and Associates Dental Surgeons 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 area where improvement was required.
As part of this inspection we asked:
• Is it well-led?
Our findings were:
Are services well-led?
We found this practice was providing well-led care in accordance with the relevant regulations.
The provider had made improvements in relation to the regulatory breach we found at our inspection on 12 April 2022.
Background
The provider has 2 practices and this report is about Dr Alec Waugh and Associates Dental Surgeons.
The practice is in Newcastle Upon Tyne 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. The practice is located close to transport routes and car parking spaces are available near the practice.
The dental team includes 4 dentists, 1 dental nurse, 5 trainee dental nurses, 1 receptionist, 1 practice coordinator, 1 dental therapist and the practice manager/dental nurse. The practice has 5 treatment rooms.
During the inspection we spoke with the principal dentist, the practice manager and the practice manager from the sister practice. We looked at practice policies and procedures and other records about how the service is managed.
The practice is open:
Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 8.30am to 5.30pm
Wednesdays from 8.30am to 5pm
Saturdays from 9am to 5pm
Closed for lunch (everyday) from 1.15pm to 2pm.
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.
- Review the practice’s protocols for recording in the patients’ dental care records or elsewhere the quality of the image in compliance with Ionising Radiation (Medical Exposure) Regulations 2017 and taking into account the guidance for Dental Practitioners on the Safe Use of X-ray Equipment.