Updated 31 July 2020
We undertook a follow up desk-based inspection of Brian Parnell - Dental Surgery on 16 July 2020. 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 had remote access to a dental professional specialist adviser.
We undertook a comprehensive inspection of Brian Parnell - Dental Surgery on 26 February 2020 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 Brian Parnell - Dental Surgery on our website .
As part of this inspection we asked:
•Is it well-led?
When one or more of the five 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.
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 26 February 2020.
Background
Brian Parnell - Dental Surgery is in Weymouth and provides NHS dental care and treatment for adults and children.
There was no level access to the practice for people who use wheelchairs and those with pushchairs. Access to the practice, which was on a first floor town centre location, was via a set of stairs. The practice had identified the stairs as an access issue for some patients, and all new patients, upon contact with the practice, were advised of the situation and offered alternative arrangements, if necessary, with another local practice which is a formal arrangement. Car parking spaces, including dedicated parking for disabled people, are available near the practice.
The dental team includes one principal dentist, two dental nurses and one receptionist. The practice has two treatment rooms.
The practice is owned by an individual who is the principal dentist. They have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated regulations about how the practice is run.
During the inspection we spoke with one dentist, one dental nurse and the receptionist. We looked at practice policies and procedures and other records about how the service is managed.
The practice is open:
- Monday to Thursday 9am to 5pm
- Friday 9am to 1pm
Our key findings were :
- The provider had implemented systems to help them manage risk to patients and staff, for example the COSHH file.
- The provider produced evidence that patient care notes were being completed according to Faculty of General Dental Practice guidelines.
- The provider was ensuring audits were completed to drive improvements within the practice.
We are mindful of the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on our regulatory function. This meant we took account of the exceptional circumstances arising as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. We will continue to discharge our regulatory enforcement functions required to keep people safe and to hold providers to account where it is necessary for us to do so.