Updated 8 July 2021
We undertook a follow up focused inspection of The Whitestar Dental Practice on 9 June 2021 which included a review of evidence submitted to us by the provider before the site visit. 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 The Whitestar Dental Practice on 27 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 Safe and Well led care and was in breach of Regulations 12,17,18,19 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 The Whitestar Dental Practice on our website www.cqc.org.uk.
As part of this inspection we asked:
• Is it safe?
• 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 (requirement notice only). We then inspect again after a reasonable interval, focusing on the areas where improvement was required.
Our findings were:
Are services safe?
We found this practice was providing safe care in accordance with the relevant regulations.
The provider had made improvements in relation to the regulatory breaches we found at our inspection on 27 February 2020.
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 breaches we found at our inspection on 27 February 2020.
Background
The Whitestar Dental Practice is in the London Borough of Harrow and provides NHS and private dental care and treatment for adults and children.
The dental team includes the principal dentist and one receptionist. At the time of our inspection the practice did not have a dental nurse and was using temporary agency nurses and a temporary agency dental hygienist. An administrative manager visits the practice every two weeks to help with administrative tasks. The practice has two treatment rooms.
The practice is owned by an individual who is the principal dentist there. 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 the principal dentist and the receptionist. No patients were booked in for treatment, hence no other staff were available on the day for us to speak with. We looked at the practice policies and procedures and other records about how the service is managed.
The practice is open:
Monday and Tuesday 9.00am – 5.30pm
Wednesday and Thursday 10.00am – 3.00pm
Friday 10.00am – 1.00pm
Our key findings were:
The practice had Infection prevention and control procedures and audits were carried out in line with guidance.
The provider had implemented monitoring of medicines and equipment and staff had completed training in basic life support.
Fire risk assessment and the fire alarm inspection had been carried out and all recommendations had been actioned.
Radiograph protection file had been updated, x-ray machines were serviced, and an x-ray audit undertaken.
The provider had implemented effective systems to monitor staff learning needs and to ensure that they understood and followed relevant guidance, policies and procedures.
The provider told us that they did not have a permanent dental nurse and assured us that treatment was not carried out without chairside support in accordance with the General Dental Council Standards for the Dental Team.
There were areas where the provider could make improvements. They should:
Take action to ensure the practice's staffing levels are adequate and permanent.