The Care Quality Commission
  • Dentist
  • Dentist

Sterling Dental Referral Centre

89 South Road, Southall, Middlesex, UB1 1SQ (020) 8571 9090

Provided and run by:
Sterling Dental Centres Limited

All Inspections

11/08/2023

During a routine inspection

We carried out this announced comprehensive inspection on 11 August 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 and a second CQC inspector.

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:

  • The dental clinic appeared clean and well-maintained.
  • The practice had infection control procedures which broadly reflected published guidance.
  • Staff knew how to deal with medical emergencies. Appropriate medicines and life-saving equipment were available.
  • The practice had systems to manage risks for patients, staff, equipment and the premises.
  • Safeguarding processes were in place and staff knew their responsibilities for safeguarding vulnerable adults and children.
  • Clinical staff provided patients’ care and treatment in line with current guidelines.
  • 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.
  • There was effective leadership and a culture of continuous improvement.
  • 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.
  • The practice had staff recruitment procedures which reflected current legislation.

Background

Sterling Dental Referral Centre is in the London Borough of Ealing and provides NHS and private dental care and treatment for adults and children. The practice has a General Dental Services contract to provide NHS conscious sedation for adults and children. This dental practice is adjacent to and linked internally to 2 other dental practices. Sterling Dental Referral Centre shares a decontamination facility with 1 of the practices and all 3 are managed together.

There is step free access to the practice for people who use wheelchairs and those with pushchairs. Car parking spaces, including dedicated parking for disabled people, are available near the practice. The practice has made reasonable adjustments to support patients with access requirements.

The dental team includes 2 principal dentists, 3 associate dentists, 4 dental nurses, 1 decontamination operator, 2 practice managers and 2 receptionists. The practice has 3 treatment rooms.

During the inspection we spoke with 1 principal dentist, 1 associate dentist, 2 dental nurses, 1 decontamination operator, 2 receptionists and 1 practice manager. We also spoke with a business support consultant. We looked at practice policies, procedures and other records to assess how the service is managed.

The practice is open:

Monday to Friday from 9am to 6pm

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

  • Improve the security of NHS prescription pads in the practice and ensure there are systems in place to track and monitor their use.
  • Improve the practice's protocols and procedures for the use of X-ray equipment in compliance with The Ionising Radiations Regulations 2017 and Ionising Radiation (Medical Exposure) Regulations 2017 and taking into account the guidance for Dental Practitioners on the Safe Use of X-ray Equipment.
  • Take action to ensure that all clinical staff have adequate immunity for vaccine preventable infectious diseases.
  • Implement audits for prescribing of antibiotic medicines taking into account the guidance provided by the College of General Dentistry.

29 August 2017

During a routine inspection

We carried out this announced inspection on 29 August 2017, 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 provider was meeting the legal requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated regulations. The inspection was led by a CQC inspector who was supported by a specialist dental adviser.

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

Are services safe?

We found that this practice was providing safe care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Are services effective?

We found that this practice was providing effective care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Are services caring?

We found that this practice was providing caring services in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Are services responsive?

We found that this practice was providing responsive care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Are services well-led?

We found that this practice was providing well-led care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Background

Sterling Dental Referral Centre is in London Borough of Ealing and provides NHS and private treatment to patients of all ages.

There is level access for people who use wheelchairs and those with pushchairs. Car parking spaces are available for patients.

The dental team includes three dentists, five dental nurses and one practice manager. The practice has two treatment rooms.

The practice is owned by a company and as a condition of registration must have a person registered with the Care Quality Commission as the registered manager. Registered managers have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated regulations about how the practice is run. The registered manager at Sterling Dental Referral Centre was the clinical director.

On the day of inspection we collected 13 CQC comment cards filled in by patients. This information gave us a positive view of the practice.

During the inspection, we spoke with one dentist, two dental nurses and two practice managers. We looked at practice policies and procedures and other records about how the service was managed.

The practice is open:

  • Monday-Friday: 9:00am to 6:00pm

Our key findings were:

  • The practice was clean and well maintained.
  • The practice had infection control procedures that reflected published guidance.
  • Staff knew how to deal with emergencies. Appropriate medicines and life-saving equipment were available.
  • The practice had systems to help them manage risk.
  • The practice had suitable safeguarding processes and staff knew their responsibilities for safeguarding adults and children.
  • The practice had thorough staff recruitment procedures.
  • The clinical staff provided patients’ care and treatment in line with current guidelines.
  • Staff treated patients with dignity and respect and took care to protect their privacy and personal information.
  • The appointment system met patients’ needs.
  • The practice had effective leadership. Staff felt involved, supported, and worked well as a team.
  • The practice asked staff and patients for feedback about the services they provided.
  • The practice dealt with complaints positively and efficiently.

We identified areas of notable practice:

The provider proactively engaged with the local community in a variety of ways to improve oral health for various population groups, for example:

  • Running a Mini Molar Club for children under the age of 11. The activities included, visiting local school assembly's and providing access to online video games and videos. The club also gave joining members a free goodie bag which includes; membership cards, games and puzzles.
  • Partnering with various local and national initiatives to raise oral health awareness, for example, the East African Senior Citizens Association, the Mael Gael and Sunrise Radio.