Triangle Dental

We carried out this announced comprehensive inspection on 9 January 2024 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 practice had infection control procedures which reflected published guidance, but improvements were needed.
• Staff knew how to deal with medical emergencies.
• 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, but improvements were needed.
• Staff provided preventive care and supported patients to ensure better oral health.
• The practice had systems to manage risks for patients, staff, equipment, and the premises but improvements were needed to ensure processes were effective.
• 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.
• Staff felt involved, supported, and worked as a team.
• Patients were asked for feedback about the services provided.
• Complaints were dealt with positively and efficiently.

Background

Triangle Dental in Reading, Berkshire 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 9 dentists, 7 qualified dental nurses, 3 trainee dental nurses, 2 dental hygienists, 2 practice managers and 7 receptionists.

The practice has 5 treatment rooms.

During the inspection we spoke with 5 dentists, 3 dental nurses, 2 receptionists and the practice managers. We looked at practice policies, procedures and other records to assess how the service is managed.

The practice is open:

• 8am to 8pm Monday to Thursday
• 8am to 7pm Friday
• 8am to 1pm Saturday

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

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

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

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

• Implement a system to ensure private patient referrals to other dental or health care professionals are centrally monitored to ensure they are received in a timely manner and not lost.
• Take action to ensure the clinicians take into account the guidance provided by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) when dispensing antibiotic medicines.

The practice managers accepted the shortfalls that we raised and took immediate action the day of our inspection to begin to address these.

Where evidence is sent that shows the relevant issues have been acted on, we have stated this in our report but we cannot say that the practice is compliant for that key question as this would not be an accurate reflection of what was found on the day of our inspection.