London City Smiles

We carried out this announced focused inspection on 25 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 always 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:

• The practice appeared to be visibly clean and well-maintained.
• The provider had infection control procedures which reflected published guidance.
• Staff knew how to deal with emergencies. Appropriate medicines and life-saving equipment were available.
• The provider had systems to help them manage risk to patients and staff.
• 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.
• 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.
• Staff felt involved and supported and worked as a team.
• The provider had effective leadership and a culture of continuous improvement.
• The provider asked staff and patients for feedback about the services they provided.
• The provider had information governance arrangements.

Background

London City Smiles is in the London Borough of Islington and provides NHS and private dental care and treatment for adults and children.

The practice is situated over three floors of a building close to Angel underground station. There is level access into the building for people who use wheelchairs or those with pushchairs.

The dental team includes five specialist dentists, eight general dentists, three hygienists, five dental nurses, two trainee dental nurses and a trainee decontamination assistant. They are supported by a business manager, assistant manager and a large administrative team. The practice has seven treatment rooms and two decontamination rooms.

During the inspection we spoke with the business manager, the assistant manager, a specialist dentist, a general dentist, a dental nurse and the trainee decontamination assistant. We looked at practice policies and procedures and other records about how the service is managed.

The practice is open:

Monday to Thursday from 8am to 6pm.

Friday from 8am to 2pm.