Updated 12 October 2021
We carried out this announced focused inspection on 3 September 2021 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 Care Quality Commission, (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 three questions:
• Is it safe?
• Is it effective?
• 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 this practice was providing safe care in accordance with the relevant regulations.
Are services effective?
We found this practice was providing effective care in accordance with the relevant regulations.
Are services well-led?
We found this practice was providing well-led care in accordance with the relevant regulations.
Background
Sorriso Dentistry is in Beaconsfield 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. There are patient car parking spaces at the practice which included one for disabled patients.
The dental team includes two dentists, one specialist prosthodontist, two dental hygienists and five dental nurses and treatment coordinators. The practice has two treatment rooms.
The practice is owned by a partnership and as a condition of registration must have a person registered with the CQC 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 Sorriso Dentistry is one of the partners.
During the inspection we spoke with three dentists and two dental nurses. We looked at practice policies and procedures and other records about how the service is managed.
The practice is open:
- Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm.
Our key findings were:
- The practice appeared to be visibly clean and well-maintained.
- The provider had infection control procedures which reflected published guidance, but improvements were needed to ensure national guidance is followed regarding the use of washable surgical gowns.
- Staff knew how to deal with emergencies.
- Appropriate medicines were available but equipment which included oropharyngeal airways and self-inflating bag were out of date.
- The provider had safeguarding processes and staff knew their responsibilities for safeguarding vulnerable adults and children.
- The provider’s staff recruitment procedures were effective.
- The clinical staff provided patients’ care and treatment in line with current guidelines.
- The provider had information governance arrangements and took care to protect their privacy and personal information.
- The provider has systems to help them manage risk to patients and staff. There were areas for improvement including the addition of antimicrobial audits and a more central referral tracking log to the system.
- Staff provided preventive care and supported patients to ensure better oral health.
- The provider had effective leadership.
- Staff felt involved and supported and worked as a team.
- The provider asked staff and patients for feedback about the services they provided.
- The provider took immediate action the day of our inspection to address some of the minor issues identified during our inspection, demonstrating their commitment to providing a good service.
There were areas where the provider could make improvements. They should:
- Take action to ensure the availability of emergency equipment in the practice to manage medical emergencies taking into account the guidelines issued by the Resuscitation Council (UK) and the General Dental Council.
- Implement audits for prescribing of antibiotic medicines taking into account the guidance provided by the Faculty of General Dental Practice.
- Improve the practice’s personal protection equipment (PPE) protocols taking into account the Covid 19: Infection prevention and control guidance issued by the Department of Health.
- Implement a central referral tracking log to the system. to ensure patient referrals to other dental or health care professionals to ensure they are received in a timely manner and not lost.