Smiles Better Dental Care

We carried out this announced comprehensive inspection on 5 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 and an operations manager.

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; improvements should be made to the facilities available to staff to ensure they reflect published guidance.
• Staff knew how to deal with medical emergencies. Appropriate medicines and life-saving equipment were available.
• Improvements were needed to the systems for managing 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.
• 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.
• 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.

Background

Smiles Better Dental Care is part of Portman Dentex, a dental group provider. The practice is in Kings Lynn in Norfolk and provides private dental care and treatment for adults and children.

There is step free access to the practice via a ramp for people who use wheelchairs and those with pushchairs. The practice is located close to local transport routes and car parking spaces are available near the practice. The practice has made reasonable adjustments to support patients with access requirements.

The dental team includes 1 specialist periodontist, 4 dentists, 5 dental nurses (including 1 trainee), 3 dental hygienists, 2 receptionists and a practice manager. The practice has 4 treatment rooms.

During the inspection we spoke with 2 dentists, 1 hygienist, 3 dental nurses (including the trainee), a receptionist and the practice manager. The practice was supported by one of the group’s safety and quality specialists. We looked at practice policies, procedures and other records to assess how the service is managed.

The practice is open:

Monday from 8.30am to 5.30pm

Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 8am to 5pm

Wednesday from 8am to 6.30pm

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 practice protocols and procedures to ensure staff are up to date with their mandatory training and their continuing professional development.
• Improve the practice’s facilities for infection control procedures and protocols taking into account the guidelines issued by the Department of Health in the Health Technical Memorandum 01-05: Decontamination in primary care dental practices and having regard to The Health and Social Care Act 2008: ‘Code of Practice about the prevention and control of infections and related guidance’. In particular, in relation to the availability of handwashing facilities.