Updated 29 September 2021
We carried out this announced inspection on 15 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 usually ask five key questions. However, due to the ongoing pandemic and to reduce time spent on site, only the following three questions were asked:
• Is it safe?
• Is it effective?
• Is it well-led?
These are three of the five questions that form the framework for the areas we look at during the inspection.
Our findings were:
Are services safe?
We found that this practice was 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 well-led?
We found that this practice was providing well-led care in accordance with the relevant regulations.
Background
Bow Lane Limited is in the City of London and provides private general and specialist dental treatment to adults and children. Specialist services available at the practice include conscious sedation, dental implants, endodontics and orthodontics.
The practice is arranged over four floors of a building close to Bank underground station. The practice does not have step free access. Patients requiring ground floor treatment rooms are signposted to another local practice that can offer this. Bow Lane Limited has six treatment rooms, alongside a separate decontamination room and dental laboratory on the top floor.
The team consists of six dentists, a specialist orthodontist, a specialist endodontist, two dental hygienists, a dental hygiene therapist, four dental nurses, a decontamination technician, an orthodontic therapist, a business manager, two receptionists and two administrators.
The practice is owned by an organisation 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. The registered manager at Bow Lane Limited is the principal dentist.
During the inspection we spoke with the principal dentist, the business manager and four dental nurses. We looked at practice policies and procedures and other records about how the service is managed.
The practice is open to patients:
Monday, Tuesday and Thursday from 7.45am to 5.30pm.
Wednesday from 8.30am to 5.30pm.
Friday from 8am to 5pm.
Our key findings were:
- The practice appeared clean and well maintained.
- The provider had infection control procedures which reflected published guidance.
- Staff knew how to deal with emergencies. Appropriate medicines and life-saving equipment was available.
- The provider had systems to help them manage risk to patients and staff.
- The provider had suitable safeguarding processes and staff knew their responsibilities for safeguarding vulnerable adults and children.
- The provider had thorough staff recruitment procedures.
- 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.
- Staff provided preventive care and supported patients to ensure better oral health.
- The provider had effective leadership and culture of continuous improvement.
- Staff felt involved and supported and worked well as a team.
- The provider asked staff and patients for feedback about the services they provided. The provider had suitable information governance arrangements.