• Dentist
  • Dentist

Advanced Dental Aesthetics

1 Drewsteignton, Southend On Sea, Essex, SS3 8BA

Provided and run by:
Mrs Kalajini Sivagurunathan

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

All Inspections

3 July 2023

During an inspection looking at part of the service

We undertook a follow up focused inspection of Advanced Dental Aesthetics on 3 July 2023. This inspection was carried out to review 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 had remote access to a specialist dental advisor.

We had previously undertaken a comprehensive inspection of Advanced Dental Aesthetics on 30 January 2023 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 well-led care and was in breach of regulation 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 Advanced Dental Aesthetics on our website www.cqc.org.uk.

When 1 or more of the 5 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.

As part of this inspection we asked:

  • Is it well-led?

Our findings were:

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 31 January 2023.

Background

Advanced Dental Aesthetics is in Southend on Sea and provides NHS and 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 dental team includes 5 dentists, 6 dental nurses and 2 dental hygienists. The clinical team are supported by a practice manager and a receptionist. The practice has 3 treatment rooms.

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

The practice is open between:

9am and 5pm Mondays to Thursdays

9am and 4pm on Fridays

9am and 2pm on Saturdays

30 January 2023

During a routine inspection

We carried out this announced comprehensive inspection on 30 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. Improvements were required to ensure emergency medicines were stored in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions
  • Improvements were required to the practice 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Improvements were needed so clinical staff were aware of current guidelines such as guidance in relation to antibiotic prescribing and the management of periodontal disease.
  • There was ineffective leadership and the practice lacked a culture of continuous improvement.

Background

Advanced Dental Aesthetics is in Southend on Sea and provides NHS and 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 dental team includes 5 dentists, 6 dental nurses and 2 dental hygienists. The clinical team are supported by a receptionist. The practice has 3 treatment rooms.

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

The practice is open between:

9am and 5pm Mondays to Thursdays

9am and 4pm on Fridays

9am and 2pm on Saturdays

We identified regulations the provider was/is 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:

  • Improve the practice's protocols and procedures for the use of X-ray equipment in compliance with The Ionising Radiations Regulations 2017 and Ionising Radiation (Medical Exposure) Regulations 2017 and taking into account HPA-CRCE-010 Guidance on the Safe Use of Dental Cone Beam (Computed Tomography).
  • Implement audits for prescribing of antibiotic medicines taking into account the guidance provided by the College of General Dentistry.
  • Implement a system to ensure patient referrals to other dental or health care professionals are centrally monitored to ensure they are received in a timely manner and not lost.

20 December 2013

During a routine inspection

People we spoke with told us that they were very happy with the treatments they received and the overall service provided by the dental clinic. People said that their treatments were explained to them in a way that they could understand and that their consent was obtained before their treatment started. We saw that there were appropriate systems in place for providing information about treatments, costs, benefits and potential risks. They told us that they felt safe and well cared for and that staff were caring and professional.

We saw that appropriate assessments of each person's oral health needs were carried out before each treatment. There were arrangements in place to deal with any foreseeable medical emergencies and staff were trained to support people.

The premises were clean and well maintained. There were procedures for cleaning and sterilising equipment and dental instruments so as to minimise the risks of cross infection.

Staff received training and support to enable them to carry out their duties and care for people safely and effectively. The system for appraising and staff development required improving and there were plans in place to achieve this. There were arrangements in place for safeguarding people from the risks of abuse or harm.

The service was regularly monitored and people's views were obtained as part of an overall quality improvement system. Complaints were received and dealt with appropriately.