- Dentist
Centre Of Dental Excellence
Report from 10 January 2025 assessment
Contents
Judgements
Our view of the service
We carried out this announced on-site assessment on Wednesday 19 March 2025. We found the practice had met regulations. Infection control procedures in place were effective. The practice had effective systems to identify and manage risks. Recruitment procedures reflected current legislation and there was effective leadership and a culture of continuous improvement. Patients’ care and treatment was provided in line with current guidance. Patients were treated with dignity and respect and at the time of our assessment, could access care, support and treatment when required. Centre of Dental Excellence is in Stanmore in the London Borough of Harrow and provides specialist private dental care and treatment for adults and occasionally children. There was step-free access to the practice and car parking spaces available, including parking for disabled people, near the practice. The practice had 5 treatment rooms. At the time of our assessment, there was a total of 30 staff, of which there were 3 endodontists, 2 orthodontist specialists , 2 periodontal specialists, 3 restorative dentistry specialists, 3 oral surgery specialists (with 1 also providing facial aesthetics), 1 provider of dental sleep medicine, 6 qualified dental nurses, 2 dental hygiene therapists, 4 administration staff, a referral manager, a complaints manager, the practice manager and the clinical director. The practice had another co-director who did not work clinically at the practice. We gathered feedback from staff and spoke to a range of staff during our assessment, including the clinical director, the co-director, the practice manager, 1 dental nurse, 2 administration staff, a specialist oral surgeon and a restorative dentistry specialist. The service provides cosmetic treatments, some of which are not in scope of regulation and are not covered in our assessment.
People's experience of this service
Two weeks before our on-site assessment, we asked the practice to encourage patients to share their views of the service with us. We received feedback from 19 patients and 6 dentists who refer their patients to the practice. Feedback provided a positive view of the dental team and care provided by the practice.
Comments included, “The entire team are excellent and the end-to-end support I received was exceptional” and “The whole procedure from start to finish was exemplary and will have no hesitation to recommend Centre of Dental Excellence.”
One referral dentist told us, “Information is readily available with clear communication and my patients have been treated to a high standard.” Another referral dentist said, “Centre of Dental Excellence is a truly wonderful practice. As a referring dentist I always have the utmost confidence in sending my patients there as the level of care, attention to detail and clinical skill is at a very high level. All patients who come back to us following treatment speak volumes about the level of care they have received.”
Patients felt able to book appointments within an acceptable timescale for their needs and said they had enough time during their appointment without feeling rushed. One patient told us, “Always very prompt in response and with organising appointments. Very accommodating and understanding of emergency situations.”
Patients told us they were given clear information to help them make an informed choice about their treatment and any associated costs. They were involved in decisions about their care. One patient told us, “Their care is nothing short of the standards expected of a 5* dental practice. Their receptionists, nurses and clinicians are some of the best I have come across.” Another patient told us, ““There is a genuine care for patients. I have seen this through the continued care post treatment, from the coordinators at reception to my regular visits to the hygienist - they all deliver a great service!”