The Wimbledon Dentist

We carried out this announced comprehensive inspection on 21 March 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:

• The dental clinic appeared clean and well-maintained.
• The practice had infection control procedures which reflected published guidance.
• 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.
• 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.
• Staff knew how to deal with medical emergencies. Improvements were required to ensure appropriate medicines and life-saving equipment were available.
• Improvements were required to the practice’s systems for managing risks for patients, staff, equipment, and the premises.

Background

The Wimbledon Dentist is in Wimbledon in the London borough of Merton and provides private dental care and treatment for adults and children.

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 in the surrounding area. The practice has made reasonable adjustments to support patients with access requirements.

The dental team includes the principal dentist, 3 associate dentists, 4 dental nurses, 1 dental hygienist, 1 dental therapist, 1 trainee dental nurse, 1 practice manager and 3 receptionists. The practice has 3 treatment rooms.

During the inspection we spoke with the principal dentist, 1 associate dentist, 1 dental nurse, 1 receptionist and the practice manager. We looked at practice policies, procedures, and other records to assess how the service is managed.

The practice is open:

8.30am to 5.30pm Monday, Tuesday, and Friday

8.30am to 8pm Wednesday and Thursday

8.30am to 5pm Saturday

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 not meeting are at the end of this report.

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

• 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.
• Take action to ensure audits of infection prevention and control are undertaken at regular intervals to improve the quality of the service. Practice should also ensure that, where appropriate, audits have documented learning points and the resulting improvements can be demonstrated.
• Take action to ensure the availability of equipment in the practice to manage medical emergencies taking into account the guidelines issued by the Resuscitation Council (UK) and the General Dental Council.