Archived: Chantry House Dental Practice

We carried out this unannounced comprehensive inspection on 21 March 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:

• Staff knew how to deal with medical emergencies. All appropriate medicines and life-saving equipment were available.
• Safeguarding processes were in place and staff knew their responsibilities for safeguarding vulnerable adults and children.
• Clinical staff provided patients’ care and treatment in line with current guidelines.
• 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 although there were areas where this required review.
• 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 had not undertaken training as per current guidelines and legislation.
• Staff and patients were asked for feedback about the services provided.
• Complaints were dealt with positively and efficiently.
• Not all areas of the dental clinic were clean and well-maintained.
• The practice’s infection control procedures did not reflect published guidance.
• The practice systems to manage risks for patients, staff, equipment and the premises required review.
• The practice’s staff recruitment procedures did not reflect current legislation.
• The practice had information governance arrangements which required improvement.

Background

Chantry House Dental Practice is in Barnham and provides private dental care and treatment for adults and children.

The practice offers step free access for people who use wheelchairs and those with pushchairs. The practice has onsite parking, including parking for disabled people. The practice has made reasonable adjustments to support patients with access requirements.

The dental team includes 2 dentists, 2 dental hygienists, 1 trainee dental nurse, 2 receptionists and 1 qualified locum dental nurse. The practice has 3 treatment rooms, one of which is currently out of use.

During the inspection we spoke with 1 dentist, 1 dental hygienist, the trainee dental nurse and 1 receptionist. We looked at practice policies, procedures and other records to assess how the service is managed.

The practice is open: Monday to Thursday 8.30am to 5pm

Friday 8.30am to 2pm

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

• Ensure care and treatment is provided in a safe way to patients
• Establish effective systems and processes to ensure good governance in accordance with the fundamental standards of care
• Ensure persons employed in the provision of the regulated activity receive the appropriate support, training, professional development, supervision and appraisal necessary to enable them to carry out their duties
• Ensure specified information is available regarding each person employed

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

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

• Improve and develop staff awareness of autism and learning disabilities and ensure all staff receive appropriate training.
• Take action to ensure audits of record keeping are undertaken at regular intervals to improve the quality of the service. The practice should also ensure that, where appropriate, audits have documented learning points, and the resulting improvements can be demonstrated.
• Implement an effective system of checks of medical emergency equipment and medicines taking into account the guidelines issued by the Resuscitation Council (UK).