The Care Quality Commission
  • Dentist
  • Dentist

Benfleet Dental Centre

8 Benfleet Road, Victoria House Corner, Hadleigh, Benfleet, Essex, SS7 1QB (01702) 557766

Provided and run by:
Simdent Dental Care Limited

Important: The provider of this service changed. See old profile

All Inspections

31January 2023

During a routine inspection

We carried out this announced comprehensive inspection on 31 January 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.
  • Staff knew how to deal with medical emergencies. Appropriate medicines and life-saving equipment were available.
  • 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.

Background

The provider has 2 practices, and this report is about Benfleet Dental Centre.

Benfleet Dental Centre is in Benfleet, Essex and provides private dental care and treatment for adults and children.

There is step free access to the practice for people who use wheelchairs and those with pushchairs. Car parking spaces, including dedicated parking for disabled people, are available near the practice. The practice has made reasonable adjustments to support patients with access requirements.

The dental team includes 5 dentists, 4 dental nurses including 2 trainee dental nurses, 2 dental hygienists, 1 practice manager, 1 compliance lead and 3 receptionists. The practice has 3 treatment rooms.

During the inspection we spoke with 2 dentists, 3 dental nurses, 1 dental hygienist, 2 receptionists, the compliance lead and the practice manager. We looked at practice policies, procedures and other records to assess how the service is managed.

The practice is open:

Monday to Friday from 8.30am to 5pm.

Alternate Saturdays (by appointment).

The practice had taken steps to improve environmental sustainability. They had recently signed a contract to recycle within the practice. We were told staff were encouraged to turn lights off and reduce the use of electricity where possible.

12 September 2016

During a routine inspection

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 12 September 2016 to ask the practice the following key questions; Are services safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led?

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

Benfleet Dental Centre is situated in a purpose converted building in Hadleigh, Essex.

The practice has three treatment rooms, one which is located on the ground floor and a combined patient waiting and reception area. Decontamination takes place in a dedicated decontamination room (Decontamination is the process by which dirty and contaminated instruments are bought from the treatment room, washed, inspected, sterilised and sealed in pouches ready for use again).

The practice is registered as an organisation. The principal dentist is the registered manager. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the practice is run.

Four dentists, four dental nurses, one hygienist, a practice manager, practice administrator and two receptionists work at the practice.

The practice offers NHS and private general and cosmetic dental treatments to adults and children. The opening hours of the practice are 8am to 5pm on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, 8am to 7.30pm on Tuesdays, 8am to 5pm on Fridays and 9am to 3pm on Saturdays.

This inspection was unannounced so we did not send comment cards for patients to complete. During the inspection we spoke with five patients.

Our key findings were:

  • There was an effective complaints system and learning from complaints, accidents and other incidents was used to make improvements where this was required.
  • The practice was visibly clean and clutter free and Infection control practices met national guidance.
  • There were a number of systems in place to help keep people safe, including safeguarding vulnerable children and adults, health and safety and fire safety procedures and risk assessments.
  • There were procedures in place for dealing with medical emergencies. Staff were trained and the practice had the recommended medicines and equipment.
  • Dental care and treatments were carried out in line with current legislation and guidelines.
  • Patients reported that the dentists and dental nurses were professional. Patients said that they received excellent dental care and staff were understanding, polite and helpful.
  • Patients were provided with detailed information to help them undertand their treatment and they were involved in making decisions about their care and treatments.
  • Patients consent was obtained before treatment was carried out.
  • The practice provided a flexible appointments system and could normally arrange a routine appointment within a few days or emergency appointments mostly on the same day.
  • There was appropriate equipment for staff to undertake their duties, and equipment was well maintained.
  • Governance arrangements were in place for the smooth running of the service. There were systems for monitoring several aspects of the practice to help improve the quality of services provided.
  • Patient’s views were sought and used to make improvements to the service where these were identified.

5 March 2013

During a routine inspection

We spoke with two people who were using the service at the time of our inspection. Both said they were very happy with the care provided by their dentist.

They said that they were involved in decisions about their care, given clear information about the treatment options available to them and gave consent accordingly. All treatment prices were fully explained. They said that the dentist checked their medical histories at each visit. They said they would recommend the practice to others.

We also looked at patient satisfaction survey results, which revealed a high rate of satisfaction with the care people received at Benfleet Dental Centre. We observed excellent customer service, with staff treating people with respect and warmth.