Ealing Dental & Medical Stunning Smile Skin Clinic

On this page

• Overview
• Learning culture
• Safe systems, pathways and transitions
• Safeguarding
• Involving people to manage risks
• Safe environments
• Safe and effective staffing
• Infection prevention and control
• Medicines optimisation

We found this practice was providing safe care in accordance with the relevant regulations and had taken into consideration appropriate guidance. The provider had made improvements in relation to the regulatory breaches we found at our inspection on 28 June 2024.

Find out what we look at when we assess this area in our information about our new Single assessment framework.

The judgement for Learning culture is based on the latest evidence we assessed for the Safe key question.

The judgement for Safe systems, pathways and transitions is based on the latest evidence we assessed for the Safe key question.

The judgement for Safeguarding is based on the latest evidence we assessed for the Safe key question.

The judgement for Involving people to manage risks is based on the latest evidence we assessed for the Safe key question.

At the assessment on 8 October 2024, we found the practice had made the following improvements to comply with the regulations: The practice had ensured that emergency equipment and medicines were available and checked in accordance with national guidance. Cleaning products were stored safely, and staff could access the relevant safety data sheets, in line with Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002. The practice had updated their radiation protection file and provided evidence of annual servicing and 3 yearly performance checks for all radiography equipment. A Laser Protection Advisor had been appointed and the practice had carried out a risk assessment for the use of lasers and displayed clear signage to indicate that lasers were used at the practice.

Appropriate action had been taken to address the risks associated with fire safety. A fire risk assessment had been completed, with all recommendations actioned. Fire alarms had been installed and the inspection team were assured that in-house testing of the fire safety equipment would be completed and recorded within the fire log books at appropriate intervals. Fire evacuation drills had been introduced, with the evacuation time recorded. We saw all fire extinguishers were easily accessible, and the practice had purchased 2 fire blankets. The practice had implemented effective systems to assess, monitor and manage the risks associated with the use of sharps. Safer sharps had been introduced, which minimise the risk of accidental injury, in line with the Health and Safety (Sharps Instruments in Healthcare) Regulation 2013, and staff told us that only clinicians dismantled sharps within the treatment rooms.

At the assessment on 8 October 2024, we found the practice had also made further improvements: The practice had a recruitment policy and procedure to help them employ suitable staff, including agency or locum staff. Since our last inspection, the practice had employed 1 new staff member. All necessary recruitment checks had been completed in line with the Health and Social Care Act 2008 9regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 (Schedule 3). The practice had improved their arrangements to ensure staff training was up to date and reviewed at the required intervals. Further improvements were required to ensure all staff had received training in fire safety.

At the assessment on 8 October 2024, we found the practice had made the following improvements to comply with the regulations: The practice had taken action to improve the decontamination processes, to align with guidance from Health Technical Memorandum 01-05 – Decontamination in primary dental practices.

The practice had purchased a thermometer to check the water temperature during manual cleaning of contaminated dental instruments and had implemented a log to monitor the use of the long-handled brushes. Improvements were required to ensure the log also monitored the use of heavy-duty gloves. Staff wore appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) and ensured that validation tests of the autoclave were completed within recommended timescales. An appropriate bin for clinical waste was available in the decontamination room and the practice had ensured all staff had appropriate immunity to Hepatitis B.

The practice had introduced schedules to ensure the cleaning of the general environment was effective. Arrangements for identifying and mitigating the risks associated with Legionella developing in the water systems had improved. A Legionella risk assessment had been completed by an external company since our last inspection, and all recommendations had been actioned. Further improvements were required to ensure the thermometer used for recording the temperatures at the water outlets was appropriate for this task. The service purchased an appropriate thermometer immediately following feedback from the inspection team.

At the assessment on 8 October 2024, we found the practice had made the following improvements to comply with the regulations: The principal dentist prescribed antibiotics in line with current prescribing guidance from the Faculty of General Dental Practice and the Faculty of Dental Surgery of the Royal College of Surgeons of England and documented a justification in patient records when deviating from this guidance.

Medicines were stored securely and there was an effective system in place to track the use of these medicines.

Further improvements were required to ensure the practice labelled dispensed medicine boxes with all requirements as stipulated by The Human Medicines Regulations 2012. While the patient’s name, date, frequency and dosages were written on the medicine boxes, the service did not label the boxes with the practice name and address. The practice took immediate action and ordered labels which included the practice name and address. Antimicrobial prescribing audits were overdue and did not align with current guidance from the Faculty of General Dental Practice and the Faculty of Dental Surgery of the Royal College of Surgeons of England. The practice took immediate action and completed a new antimicrobial audit using a template which aligned with current guidance.