Eachway Dental Practice

We carried out this announced inspection on 18 October 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 ask the following 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 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

Eachway Dental Practice is in Rubery, Birmingham and provides NHS and private dental care and treatment for adults and children.

A portable ramp is used to gain access to the practice for people who use wheelchairs and those with pushchairs. Car parking spaces are available at the front of the practice and on local side roads.

The dental team includes two dentists four dental nurses (including three trainee dental nurses) and one dental hygienist, one of the dental nurses mainly works as a 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. The registered manager at Eachway Dental Practice is the provider.

During the inspection we spoke with the provider, the dental hygienist and three dental nurses – including the dental nurse working on reception. We looked at practice policies and procedures and other records about how the service is managed.

The practice is open:

Monday to Thursday from 9am to 5pm (closed for lunch between 1pm to 2pm).

Friday from 9am to 1pm.

Our key findings were:

• The practice appeared to be visibly clean.
• The provider had infection control procedures which reflected published guidance.
• Staff knew how to deal with emergencies, although one member of staff required update training. Not all appropriate life-saving equipment was available. Checks made on emergency medicines and equipment were not sufficient.
• Some systems were in place to help manage risk to patients and staff. However, not all issues identified in risk assessments had been addressed.
• There was no five-year fixed wire electrical safety certificate.
• The provider’s safeguarding processes did not include readily available information for staff to report suspicion of abuse. Staff knew their responsibilities for safeguarding vulnerable adults and children.
• The provider implemented staff recruitment procedures which reflected current legislation following this inspection.
• The clinical staff provided patients’ care and treatment in line with current guidelines.
• 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.
• Staff felt involved and supported and worked as a team.
• The provider asked staff and patients for feedback about the services they provided.
• The provider had information governance arrangements.

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 is not meeting is at the end of this report.

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

• Improve the security of NHS prescription pads in the practice and ensure there are systems in place to track and monitor their use.

• Implement an effective system for receiving and responding to patient safety alerts, recalls and rapid response reports issued by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, the Central Alerting System and other relevant bodies, such as Public Health England.