We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 05 April 2016 to ask the practice the following key questions; Are services safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led?
Our findings were:
Are services safe?
We found that this practice was not 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 not providing well-led care in accordance with the relevant regulations
Background
Dentexcel Acton is located in the London Borough of Ealing and provides private dental treatment to both adults and children. The practice provided specialist services in periodontology, endodontics and restorative dentistry. The premises are on the ground floor and consists of two treatment rooms (though one was not in use at the time of our inspection), a reception area and a dedicated decontamination room. The practice is open on Monday - Saturday 9:30am – 6:00pm.
The staff consists of the principal dentist, five associate dentists, one dental nurse, one trainee dental nurse, the receptionist and a practice manager.
The principal dentist is registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) as an individual. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the practice is run.
We reviewed eight CQC comment cards. Patients were positive about the service. They were complimentary about the friendly and caring attitude of the staff.
The inspection took place over one day and was carried out by a CQC inspector and a dental specialist advisor
Our key findings were:
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There were appropriate equipment and access to emergency drugs to enable the practice to respond to medical emergencies. Staff knew where equipment was stored.
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Patients had good access to appointments including emergency appointments.
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We observed staff to be caring, friendly, reassuring and welcoming to patients.
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There was lack of appropriate systems in place to safeguard patients
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T
he practice did not have arrangements in place to ensure
the premises were fit for purpose and maintained.
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There was a lack of effective arrangements in place to meet the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health 2002 (COSHH) Regulations.
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Staff did not receive appropriate support and appraisal as is necessary to enable them to carry out the
ir
duties.
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There was a lack of effective processes for acknowledging, recording, investigating and responding to complaints, concerns and suggestions made by patients.
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There was a lack of an effective system to assess, monitor and improve the quality and safety of the services provided.
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There was a lack of an effective system to assess, monitor and mitigate the risks relating to the health, safety and welfare of patients, staff and visitors.
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Governance arrangements in place were not effective to facilitate the smooth running of the service and there was no evidence of audits being used for continuous improvements.
We identified regulations that were not being met and the provider must:
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Ensure that the practice implements robust procedures and processes that make sure that people are protected.
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Ensure that the premises used by the service provider for providing care or treatment to a service user is fit for purpose and maintained.
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Ensure the practice's recruitment policy and procedures are suitable and the recruitment arrangements are in line with Schedule 3 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 to ensure necessary employment checks are in place for all staff and the required specified information in respect of persons employed by the practice is held.
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Ensure the practice’s infection control procedures and protocols are suitable giving due regard to guidelines issued by the Department of Health - Health Technical Memorandum 01-05: Decontamination in primary care dental practices and The Health and Social Care Act 2008: ‘Code of Practice about the prevention and control of infections and related guidance’.
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Ensure the practice’s sharps handling procedures and protocols are in compliance with the Health and Safety (Sharp Instruments in Healthcare) Regulations 2013.
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Ensure that the practice is in compliance with its legal obligations under Ionising Radiation Regulations (IRR) 99 and Ionising Radiation (Medical Exposure) Regulation (IRMER) 2000.
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Ensure the training, learning and development needs of individual staff members are reviewed at appropriate intervals and an effective process is established for the on-going assessment and supervision of all staff.
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Ensure staff are up to date with their mandatory training and their Continuing Professional Development (CPD).
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Ensure that the registered person establishes and operates effectively an accessible system for identifying, receiving, recording, handling and responding to complaints by service users.
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Ensure audits of various aspects of the service, such as radiography, infection control and dental care records are undertaken at regular intervals and are effective in helping improve the quality of service. The practice should also check audits, where appropriate have documented learning points and the resulting improvements can be demonstrated.
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Ensure the practice establishes an effective system to assess, monitor and mitigate the various risks arising from undertaking of the regulated activities.
There were areas where the provider could make improvements and should:
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Review the practice’s arrangements for receiving and responding to patient safety alerts, recalls and rapid response reports issued from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and through the Central Alerting System (CAS), as well as from other relevant bodies, such as Public Health England (PHE).
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Review staff awareness of the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005 and ensure all staff are aware of their responsibilities under the Act as it relates to their role.
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Review its complaint handling procedures and establish an accessible system for identifying, receiving, recording, handling and responding to complaints by patients.
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Review the practices’ current Legionella risk assessment and implement the required actions giving due regard to guidelines issued by the Department of Health - Health Technical Memorandum01-05: Decontamination in primary care dental practices and The Health and Social Care Act 2008: ‘Code of Practice about the prevention and control of infections and related guidance’.