Archived: London Stratford

We carried out this announced comprehensive on 24 November 2022 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 always ask the following 5 questions:

• Is it safe?

• Is it effective?

• Is it caring?

• Is it responsive to people’s needs?

• Is it well-led?

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

Our findings were:

• The premises were visibly clean and well-maintained.
• The service had infection control procedures and cleanliness was maintained.
• Staff knew how to deal with medical emergencies and had access to procedures to follow.
• The service had systems to help them manage risk to people using the service and staff.
• Safeguarding processes were in place and staff knew their responsibilities for safeguarding vulnerable adults and children.
• The provider had staff recruitment procedures which reflected current legislation.
• The clinical team reviewed and prescribed treatment in line with current guidelines.
• People receiving treatments were treated with dignity and respect and staff took care to protect their privacy and personal information.
• The appointment system took account of peoples’ needs.
• There was effective leadership and a culture of continuous improvement.
• Staff felt involved and supported and worked as a team.
• Staff and people using the service were asked for feedback about the services provided.
• Complaints were dealt with positively and efficiently.
• The service had information governance arrangements.

Background

The provider has 13 locations and this report is about London Stratford.

London Stratford is in the London Borough of Newham and provides private direct to consumer aligner therapy for adults and children over the age of 12 years.

The premises (Smile Shop) is located within Westfield shopping centre and there is level access to the practice for people who use wheelchairs and those with pushchairs. Car parking spaces, including dedicated parking for disabled people, are available. Accessible toilet facilities and baby changing facilities are available.

The Shop team includes 9 smile guides, 4 of whom are registered dental nurses, a shop manager and an assistant shop manager. The shop team are supported by an operations manager, who is the registered manager and a people and organisation manager.

A team of dentists who work remotely assess scans and other information provided to determine the suitability of the aligner treatment.

The practice has 4 scanning suites.

During the inspection we spoke with the shop manager, 2 smile guides, the people and organisation manager, the registered manager the organisations international vice president.

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

The practice is open between 10am and 9pm Monday to Saturday and between 12pm and 6pm on Sundays.