Smile Sale

We carried out this announced focused inspection on 24 January 2022 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 usually ask five key questions, however due to the ongoing pandemic and to reduce time spent on site, only the following three questions were asked:

• 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:

• The practice appeared to be visibly clean.
• The provider had infection control procedures which reflected published guidance.
• Staff knew how to deal with emergencies. The system for ensuring medical emergency medicines and equipment reflected recognised guidance was not effective.
• The risks associated with fire and Legionella had not been appropriately managed.
• The provider had safeguarding processes and staff knew their responsibilities for safeguarding vulnerable adults and children.
• The provider had staff recruitment procedures which reflected current legislation. Improvements could be made to this process.
• The clinical staff provided patients’ care and treatment in line with current guidelines.
• Staff provided preventive care and supported patients to ensure better oral health.
• The provider asked staff and patients for feedback about the services they provided.
• The provider had information governance arrangements.

Background

KS Dental Sale provides NHS and private dental care and treatment for adults and children. The service offers dental implants.

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

The dental team includes six dentists, five dental nurses, three dental hygienists, five receptionists, a practice manager and an area manager. The practice has six treatment rooms. The practice was undergoing building work to add an additional three surgeries. We were told that this is due to be completed in March 2022.

During the inspection we spoke with three dentists, one dental nurses, one dental hygienist, one receptionist, the practice manager and the area manager. We looked at practice policies and procedures and other records about how the service is managed.

The practice is open:

Monday to Thursday from 9:00am to 4:00pm

Friday from 9:00am to 4:00pm

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 an effective system for reviewing incidents or significant events with a view to preventing further occurrences and ensuring that improvements are made as a result.