Peachcroft Dental

We carried out this unannounced comprehensive inspection on Peachcroft Dental 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 adviser.

To get to the heart of patients’ experiences of care and treatment, we ask five key questions:

• Is it safe?
• Is it effective?
• Is it caring?
• Is it responsive?
• Is it well-led?

These questions form the framework for the areas we look at during the inspection.

Our findings were:

• The provider’s infection control procedures were not operated effectively.
• Appropriate medicines and life-saving equipment were not available.
• The provider did not operate effective systems to help them manage risk to patients and staff.
• Staff knew their responsibilities for safeguarding vulnerable adults and children.
• The provider’s staff recruitment procedures were not operated effectively.
• Staff provided preventive care and supported patients to ensure better oral health.
• The provider did not have effective leadership and a culture of continuous improvement.
• The provider asked staff and patients for feedback about the services they provided.
• The provider’s information governance arrangements were not operated effectively.

Background

The provider has four practices and this report is about Peachcroft Dental.

Peachcroft Dental is in Abingdon and provides NHS and private treatment to adults and children.

Car parking spaces, including spaces for blue badge holders, are available, in a public car park, at the front the practice.

The practice is based on the first floor above a retail business. New patients are advised of the stairs when they make contact with the practice.

The dental team includes three dentists, one hygienist, one hygiene therapist, six dental nurses, two student nurses and a receptionist.

The practice has five treatment rooms of which four are in use.

The practice is owned by an partnership and as a condition of registration must have a person registered with the Care Quality Commission 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.

On the day of inspection, we obtained the views of four patients.

During the inspection we spoke with the principal dentist, two dentists, three dental nurses, and the receptionist.

We looked at practice policies and procedures and other records about how the service is managed.

The practice is open:

Monday to Friday 9.00am to 1.00pm and 2.00pm to 5.00pm.

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

• Ensure care and treatment is provided in a safe way to patients.
• Establish effective systems and processes to ensure good governance in accordance with the fundamental standards of care.
• Ensure persons employed in the provision of the regulated activity receive the appropriate support, training, professional development, supervision and appraisal necessary to enable them to carry out the duties.
• Ensure recruitment procedures are established and operated effectively to ensure only fit and proper persons are employed and specified information is available regarding each person employed.

Full details of the regulations the provider was not meeting are at the end of this report.

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

• Implement audits for prescribing of antibiotic medicines taking into account the guidance provided by the College of General Dentistry.
• Take action to ensure the regulated activities at Peachcroft Dental are managed by an individual who is registered as a manager.

The provider accepted the clinical and managerial issues raised and started to take action to address these.

Where evidence is sent that shows the relevant issues have been acted on, we have stated this in our report but we cannot say that the practice is compliant for that key question as this would not be an accurate reflection of what was found on the day of our inspection.