SimplyTeeth - Seven Kings

We carried out this announced inspection on 18 June 2019 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 always ask the following five 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:

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 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 providing well-led care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Background

Simply Teeth – Seven Kings in the London Borough of Redbridge. The practice provides NHS and private dental treatment to adults and children.

The practice is located on the ground floor in purpose-adapted premises. The practice has two treatment rooms. There is step-free access to the practice. The practice is located close to public transport services.

The dental team includes the principal dentist who owns the practice, two associate dentists, one foundation dentist and two dental nurses. The clinical team are supported by an assistant practice manager and a receptionist.

The practice is owned by an individual who is the principal dentist there. They 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 our inspection we received feedback from five patients.

During the inspection we spoke with one associate dentist, the foundation dentist, one dental nurse, the assistant practice manager and the receptionist. We checked practice policies and procedures and other records about how the service is managed.

The practice is open:

Mondays to Fridays between 9am 5.30pm

Alternate Saturdays between 9am and 1pm

The practice is closed each day between 1pm and 2pm for lunch.

Our key findings were:

• The practice appeared clean and well maintained.
• The practice had infection control procedures in place.
• Staff knew how to deal with emergencies. Appropriate medicines and life-saving equipment were available.
• The practice had systems to help them manage risk.
• The practice had suitable safeguarding processes and staff knew their responsibilities for safeguarding adults and children.
• The practice 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.
• The practice was providing preventive care and supporting patients to ensure better oral health.
• The appointment system met patients’ needs.
• The practice had effective leadership.
• Staff felt involved and supported and worked well as a team.
• The practice asked staff and patients for feedback about the services they provided.
• The practice had arrangements to deal with complaints positively and efficiently.
• The practice had suitable information governance arrangements.

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

• Review the practice’s protocols for the use of dental dam for root canal treatment taking into account guidelines issued by the British Endodontic Society.

• 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).
• Review the practice’s audit protocols to ensure audits of various aspects of the service, such as radiography and infection prevention and control are undertaken at regular intervals to help improve the quality of service. Practice should also ensure that where appropriate audits have documented learning points and the resulting improvements can be demonstrated.