The Care Quality Commission
  • Dentist
  • Dentist

Eastgate Dental Clinic

The Pavilion - rear ground floor premises, 221-227 High Street, Guildford, Surrey, GU1 4AZ (01483) 573889

Provided and run by:
Mr H Baljinder Singh Grewal

All Inspections

21 March 2022

During an inspection looking at part of the service

We undertook a follow up focused inspection of Eastgate Dental Clinic on 21 March 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 CQC inspector who was supported by a specialist dental adviser.

We undertook a comprehensive inspection of Eastgate Dental Clinic on 17 November 2021 under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. We found the registered provider was not providing safe and well led care and was in breach of regulation 12 and 17 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 Eastgate Dental Clinic on our website www.cqc.org.uk.

When one or more of the three 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 areas where improvement was required.

As part of this inspection we asked:

• Is it safe?

• Is it well-led?

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 breaches we found at our inspection on 17 November 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 breaches we found at our inspection on 17 November 2021.

Background

Eastgate Dental Clinic is in Guildford and provides private dental care and treatment for adults and children.

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

The dental team includes a dentist and a practice manger, supported by agency dental nurses. The practice has two treatment rooms.

During the inspection we spoke with a dentist and the practice manager. We looked at practice policies and procedures and other records about how the service is managed.

The practice is open:

  • Mondays and Thursdays from 9.30am to 6pm
  • Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 9.30am to 7pm
  • Friday 9.30am to 3pm
  • Saturday 9.30am to 1pm

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 College of General Dentistry.

  • Take action to ensure the availability of equipment and medicines in the practice to manage medical emergencies taking into account the guidelines issued by the Resuscitation Council (UK) and the General Dental Council.

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

Where evidence is sent that shows the relevant issues have been acted on, we have stated this in our report.

17 November 2021

During an inspection looking at part of the service

We carried out this announced focused inspection on 17 November 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 always ask the following three questions:

• Is it safe?

• Is it effective?

• 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 this practice was not providing safe care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Are services effective?

We found this practice was providing effective care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Are services well-led?

We found this practice was not providing well-led care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Background

Eastgate Dental Clinic is in Guildford and provides private dental care and treatment for adults and children.

There is level access to the practice for people who use wheelchairs and those with pushchairs. Car parking spaces, including dedicated parking for people with disabilities, are available near the practice.

The dental team includes a dentist and a trainee dental nurse. 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.

During the inspection we spoke with a dentist and two compliance leads. We looked at practice policies and procedures and other records about how the service is managed.

The practice is open:

  • Monday 9.30am to 6pm
  • Tuesday 9.30am to 7pm
  • Wednesday 9.30am to 7pm
  • Thursday 9.30am to 6pm
  • Friday 9.30am to 3pm
  • Saturday 9.30am to 1pm

Our key findings were:

  • The practice appeared to be visibly clean and well-maintained.
  • The provider did not have infection control procedures which reflected published guidance.
  • Staff knew how to deal with emergencies. Appropriate medicines were available however life-saving equipment was not available.
  • The provider had systems to help them manage risk to patients and staff. However, improvements should be made to the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health file.
  • The provider had safeguarding processes and staff knew their responsibilities for safeguarding vulnerable adults and children.
  • The management of sharps was not in line with guidance.
  • The provider had staff recruitment procedures which reflected current legislation.
  • The clinical staff provided patients’ care and treatment in line with current guidelines.
  • The dental care records content we looked at did not reflect guidance.
  • 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 appointment system took account of patients’ needs.
  • The provider did not have a culture of continuous improvement.
  • Staff felt involved and supported and worked as a team.
  • Stock control of medicines was not effective.
  • The provider asked staff and patients for feedback about the services they provided.
  • The provider dealt with complaints positively and efficiently.
  • The provider did not carry out anti-microbial audits annually.
  • The provider had information governance arrangements.

We identified regulations the provider was not complying with. They must:

  • Ensure care and treatment is provided in a safe way to patients.

  • Establish effective systems and processes to ensure good governance in accordance with the fundamental standards of care.

Full details of the regulations the provider was not meeting are at the end of this report.

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.

The provider accepted the clinical and managerial shortfalls that we raised and took immediate action on the day of our inspection to begin to address these.