Leicester Square Dental Clinic

We carried out this announced comprehensive inspection on 16 March 2023 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 advisor.

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 dental clinic appeared clean and well-maintained.
• The practice had infection control procedures which reflected published guidance.
• The practice had systems to manage risks for patients, staff, equipment and the premises.
• Safeguarding processes were in place and staff knew their responsibilities for safeguarding vulnerable adults and children.
• The practice had staff recruitment procedures which reflected current legislation.
• Clinical staff provided patients’ care and treatment in line with current guidelines.
• Patients were treated with dignity and respect. Staff took care to protect patients’ privacy and personal information.
• Staff provided preventive care and supported patients to ensure better oral health.
• The appointment system worked efficiently to respond to patients’ needs.
• The frequency of appointments was agreed between the dentist and the patient, giving due regard to National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines.
• There was effective leadership and a culture of continuous improvement.
• Staff felt involved, supported and worked as a team.
• Staff and patients were asked for feedback about the services provided.
• Complaints were dealt with positively and efficiently.
• The practice had information governance arrangements.
• Staff knew how to deal with medical emergencies.

Background

Leicester Square Dental Clinic is in the City of Westminster and provides mainly private dental care but has a small NHS contract for treatment for adults and children.

The practice is on the first floor and there is no wheelchair access to the building. The practice has arrangements with another dental practice in the event they need to refer patients with additional mobility needs. The practice is close to London underground and bus services. Limited car parking spaces are available near the practice for a paid fee.

The dental team includes a principal dentist and a dental nurse. The practice has 1 treatment room.

During the inspection we spoke with the principal dentist and the dental nurse. We looked at practice policies, procedures and other records to assess how the service is managed.

The practice is open:

Monday to Thursday 9.30am to 5.30pm.

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

Take action to ensure audits of radiography are undertaken at regular intervals to improve the quality of the service. Practice should also ensure that, where appropriate, audits have documented learning points and the resulting improvements can be demonstrated.