Updated 25 May 2021
We undertook a follow up focused inspection of The Old Grammar School Dental Surgery on 18 May 2021. 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 Old Grammar School Dental Surgery on 20 August 2019 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 or well led care and was in breach of regulations 12 and 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 The Old Grammar School Dental Surgery 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. 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 20 August 2019.
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 20 August 2019.
Background
The Old Grammar School Dental Practice is a well-established service based in St Ives, Cambridgeshire that offers both private and NHS general dental treatment to approximately 5,000 patients.
The dental team consists of three dentists, a practice manager, four dental nurses and a receptionist. There are three treatment rooms. The practice opens on Mondays to Fridays, from 8am to 5pm. There is portable ramp access for wheelchair users and parking right in front of the building.
The practice is owned by an individual who is the one of dentists 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 two dentists, one dental nurse and the practice manager. We looked at practice policies and procedures and other records about how the service is managed.
Our key findings were:
- Systems and processes were in place to ensure incidents, accidents and near misses were investigated.
- X-ray equipment was appropriately maintained and serviced.
- Dental care records reflected standards as laid out by the Faculty of General Dental Practice (FGDP).
- Infection prevention and control processes reflected nationally recognised guidance.
- There was a system in place to monitor the use and security of prescription pads.
- There were systems in place to assess and monitor the quality and safety of the service.