The Care Quality Commission
  • Dentist
  • Dentist

Garforth Dental

35B, Main Street, Garforth, Leeds, LS25 1DS (0113) 286 7369

Provided and run by:
Alker and Slater

Important: This service was previously registered at a different address - see old profile

All Inspections

10 March 2022

During an inspection looking at part of the service

We undertook a follow up inspection of Garforth Dental on 10 March 2022. 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 Garforth Dental on 3 November 2021 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 care and was in breach of regulation 12 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 Garforth Dental practice on our website www.cqc.org.uk.

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.

As part of this inspection we asked:

• Is it safe?

Our findings were:

Are services safe?

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

Background

Garforth Dental is in the village of Garforth just outside Leeds in West Yorkshire and provides NHS dental care and treatment for adults and children.

The practice holds two registrations with the Care Quality Commission. Both registrations go by the name of Garforth Dental. There is a limited company (an organisation) which provides private dental care and a partnership which provides NHS dental care to adults and children. This report is in relation to the partnership. A separate report has been produced in respect of the limited company.

The practice occupies a first-floor location with access via a flight of stairs. People who use wheelchairs and those with pushchairs would be seen at the sister practice in Kippax approximately two miles from this practice. Car parking spaces are available near the practice.

The dental team includes five dentists, one dental hygienist, eight dental nurses, six of whom are trainee dental nurses, one receptionist and a practice manager. The practice has four treatment rooms, all of which are located on the first floor.

During the inspection we spoke with dentists and 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 5:45pm

Our key findings were:

  • Improvements had been made to the infection prevention and control procedures. National guidance The Health Technical Memorandum 01-05: Decontamination in primary care dental practices (HTM 01-05) was being followed.
  • Local rules for the X-ray machines had been updated.
  • Recording of consent in dental care records had been improved.
  • The security of NHS prescriptions had been improved.
  • NICE Clinical Guideline (CG139) March 2012 was being followed in respect of the use of sharps bins.
  • Record keeping in respect of medical emergencies medicines and equipment had been reviewed and improvements made.
  • Quality assurance systems, particularly relating to audits had been reviewed and improvements made.

3 November 2021

During an inspection looking at part of the service

We carried out this announced focussed inspection 3 November 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 asked 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 not 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

Garforth Dental is in the village of Garforth just outside Leeds in West Yorkshire and provides private dental care and treatment for adults and children.

The practice holds two registrations with the Care Quality Commission. Both registrations go by the name of Garforth Dental. There is a limited company (an organisation) which provides private dental care and a partnership which provides NHS dental care to adults and children. This report is in relation to the partnership. A separate report has been produced in respect of the limited company.

The practice occupies a first-floor location with access via a flight of stairs. People who use wheelchairs and those with pushchairs would be seen at the sister practice in Kippax approximately two miles from this practice. Car parking spaces, including dedicated parking for people with disabilities, are available near the practice.

The dental team includes five dentists, one dental hygienist, eight dental nurses, six of whom are trainee dental nurses, one receptionist and a practice manager. The practice has four treatment rooms, all of which are located on the first floor.

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 Garforth Dental is one of the principal dentists.

During the inspection we spoke with dentists, a dental hygiene therapist and 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 5:45pm

Our key findings were:

  • The practice appeared to be visibly clean and well-maintained.
  • The provider had infection control procedures which did not reflect published guidance.
  • Staff knew how to deal with emergencies. Appropriate medicines and life-saving equipment were available.
  • The provider had systems to help them manage risk to patients and staff. However, oversight of those systems could be improved.
  • The provider had safeguarding processes and staff knew their responsibilities for safeguarding vulnerable adults and children.
  • The provider had staff recruitment procedures which reflected current legislation.
  • 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.
  • Consent was not always clearly recorded in dental care records.
  • Staff provided preventive care and supported patients to ensure better oral health.
  • Staff felt involved and supported and worked as a team.

We identified regulations the provider was not complying with. They must:

  • Ensure care and treatment is provided in a safe way to patients

Full details of the regulation the provider is not meeting are at the end of this report.

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

  • 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. Particularly in respect of reviewing the local rules.

  • Improve and develop the practice's policies and procedures for obtaining patient consent to care and treatment to ensure they are in compliance with legislation, take into account relevant guidance, and staff follow them.

  • Improve the security of NHS prescription pads in the practice and ensure there are systems in place to track and monitor their use.