Updated 28 April 2022
We undertook a follow-up focused inspection of The Holmer Green Dental Practice on 14 April 2022.
This inspection was carried out to review, in detail, the actions taken by the registered provider to improve the quality of care and to confirm that the practice was now meeting legal requirements.
The inspection was led by a Care Quality Commission, (CQC), inspector who was supported by a specialist dental adviser.
At our inspection on 25 October 2021 we found the registered provider was not providing safe and well-led care and was in breach of Regulation 12, 17 and 19 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014.
You can read our report of that inspection by selecting the 'all reports' link for The Holmer Green Dental Practice on our website www.cqc.org.uk.
As part of this inspection we asked:
- Is it safe?
- Is it well-led?
When one or more of the five questions are not met, we require the service to make improvements and send us an action plan. We then inspect again after a reasonable interval, focusing on the area where improvement was required.
Our findings were:
Are services safe?
We found this practice was providing safe care in accordance with the relevant regulations.
The provider had made improvements in relation to the regulatory breach we found at our inspection on 25 October 2021 .
Are services well-led?
We found this practice was providing well-led care in accordance with the relevant regulations.
The provider had made improvements in relation to the regulatory breach we found at our inspection on 25 October 2021 .
Background
The Holmer Green Dental Practice is in High Wycombe and provides private dental care and treatment for adults and children.
There is step free access to the practice, via a ramp for people who use wheelchairs and those with pushchairs. Car parking spaces are available on the road outside the practice.
The dental team includes one dentist, one dental nurse, one dental hygienist and one receptionist. The practice has two treatment rooms.
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 inspection, we obtained the views of six patients.
During the inspection we spoke with the principal dentist, nurse and the receptionist.
We looked at practice policies and procedures and other records about how the service is managed.
The practice is open:
- Monday 8.00am – 2.30pm
- Tuesday 8.30am – 4.30pm
- Wednesday 8.30am – 4.30pm
- Thursday 8.00am – 2.30pm
- Friday 8.30am – 4.30pm
Our key findings were:
- The provider had systems to help them manage risk to patients and staff.
- The provider had quality assurance processes to encourage learning and continuous improvement.
These improvements showed the provider had taken action to improve the quality of services for patients and comply with the regulations when we carried out a follow-up focused inspection on 14 April 2022.
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 Faculty of General Dental Practice.
- Take action to ensure the clinicians take into account the guidance provided by the College of General Dentistry when completing dental care records.