The Care Quality Commission
  • Dentist
  • Dentist

HB Dental Practice

117 Burnt Ash Lane, Bromley, Kent, BR1 5AB (020) 8466 6001

Provided and run by:
Arkh-View Surgeries Limited

Important: The provider of this service changed. See old profile

All Inspections

12 December 2022

During a routine inspection

We carried out this announced inspection on 12 December 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 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 adviser.

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 was visibly clean and well-maintained.
  • The practice had infection control procedures which reflected published guidance.
  • Staff knew how to deal with medical emergencies. Appropriate medicines and life-saving equipment were available.
  • The practice had systems to help them manage risk to patients and staff.
  • 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. However, improvements were required in regards to recording references of previous employment history.
  • The clinical staff provided patients’ care and treatment in line with current guidelines.
  • Patients were treated with dignity and respect and staff took care to protect their privacy and personal information.
  • Staff provided preventive care and supported patients to ensure better oral health.
  • The appointment system took account of patients’ needs.
  • There was effective leadership and a culture of continuous improvement.
  • Staff felt involved and supported and worked as a team.
  • Improvements were required in regards to the practice’s use of closed-circuit television (CCTV).
  • Staff and patients were asked for feedback about the services provided.
  • Complaints were dealt with positively and efficiently.
  • The dental clinic had information governance arrangements.
  • Improvements were required in regards to ensuring learning points from audits were documented.

Background

HB Dental Practice is in the London Borough of Bromley and provides private dental care and treatment for adults.

The practice is accessible for people who use wheelchairs and those with pushchairs. The practice has arrangements to refer patients to accessible practice when this is necessary. Car parking spaces, including dedicated parking for disabled people, are available near the practice.

The dental team includes 4 dentists, a qualified dental nurse, 3 trainee dental nurses , a dental therapist, 2 receptionists and the practice manager. The practice has 5 treatment rooms.

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

The practice is open Monday to Friday 9am to 6pm.

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

  • Implement protocols for the use of closed-circuit television cameras taking into account the guidelines published by the Information Commissioner's Office

  • Improve the practice's recruitment policy and procedures to ensure accurate, complete and detailed records are maintained for all staff, including documenting verbal references

  • Improve the practice’s sharps procedures to ensure the practice is in compliance with the Health and Safety (Sharp Instruments in Healthcare) Regulations 2013.

  • Improve the practice's protocols and procedures for the use of X-ray equipment in compliance with The Ionising Radiations Regulations 2017 and Ionising Radiation (Medical Exposure) Regulations 2017 and taking into account the guidance for Dental Practitioners on the Safe Use of X-ray Equipment.

  • Take action to ensure audits of radiography are undertaken at regular intervals to improve the quality of the service. Practice should also ensure that, where appropriate, audits have documented learning points and the resulting improvements can be demonstrated.

19 August 2016

During an inspection looking at part of the service

We carried out a follow- up inspection on 19 August 2016 at HB Dental Practice.

We had undertaken an announced comprehensive inspection of this service on 14 October 2015 as part of our regulatory functions where a breach of legal requirements was found.

After the comprehensive inspection, the practice wrote to us to say what they would do to meet the legal requirements in relation to the breach. This report only covers our findings in relation to those requirements and we reviewed the practice against three of the five questions we ask about services: is the service safe, effective and well-led?

We revisited HB Dental practice as part of this review and checked whether they had followed their action plan and to confirm that they now met the legal requirements.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection by selecting the 'all reports' link for HB Dental Practice on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

14 October 2015

During a routine inspection

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 14 October 2015 to ask the practice the following key questions; Are services safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led?

Our findings were:

Are services safe?

We found that this practice was not providing safe care in accordance with the relevant regulations

Are services effective?

We found that this practice was not providing effective care in accordance with the relevant regulations

Are services caring?

We found that this practice was providing caring services in accordance with the relevant regulations

Are services responsive?

We found that this practice was providing responsive care in accordance with the relevant regulations

Are services well-led?

We found that this practice was not providing well-led care in accordance with the relevant regulations

HB Dental is located in the London Borough of Bromley and provides mainly NHS and private dental services to patients. The demographics of the practice was mixed, serving patients from a range of social and ethnic backgrounds. The practice is open Monday to Fridays from 9.00am to 6.00pm, except Wednesdays when they open until 7.00pm. The practice facilities include three consultation rooms, a decontamination area and reception and waiting area. The premises are wheelchair accessible.

The staff structure comprises three dentists and four dental nurses, one receptionist and a practice manager.

The practice manager is the registered manager. At the time of our inspection the practice manager was away on extended leave. The appropriate notifications had been submitted to the CQC to report the absence. A registered manager is a person who is registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the practice is run.

The inspection took place over one day and was carried out by a CQC inspector and a dentist specialist advisor.

Thirty patients provided feedback about the service. Patients were positive about the care they received from the practice. They were complimentary about the friendly and caring attitude of the dental staff.

Our key findings were:

  • There were effective processes in place to reduce and minimise the risk and spread of infection.
  • There were appropriate equipment and access to emergency medicines to enable the practice to respond to medical emergencies. Staff knew where equipment was stored.
  • All clinical staff were up to date with their continuing professional development.
  • There was appropriate equipment for staff to undertake their duties, and equipment was maintained appropriately.
  • Patients’ needs were not always assessed and care was not always planned in line with current guidance.
  • Governance arrangements in place were not effective to facilitate the smooth running of the service, and there was no evidence of audits being used for continuous improvements.
  • There were not appropriate systems in place to safeguard patients
  • Consent was not always obtained and recorded appropriately.

We identified regulations that were not being met and the provider must:

  • Ensure the practice has an effective system to assess, monitor and mitigate the risks arising from undertaking of the regulated activities.
  • Ensure that appropriate governance arrangements are in place for the safe running of the service by establishing systems to monitor and assess the quality of the service
  • Ensure audits of various aspects of the service are undertaken at regular intervals to help improve the quality of service. Practice should also ensure all audits have documented learning points and the resulting improvements can be demonstrated.

You can see full details of the regulations not being met at the end of this report.

There were areas where the provider could make improvements and should:

  • Review staff awareness of the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005 and Gillick competency and ensure all staff are aware of their responsibilities as it relates to their role.
  • Review processes in place for ensuring staff have required knowledge and understanding of safety incidents and know how and where to report them.
  • Review currentprotocols and procedures to ensure that the practice is in compliance with its legal obligations under Ionising Radiation Regulations (IRR) 1999 and Ionising Radiation (Medical Exposure) Regulation (IRMER) 2000.
  • Review recruitment procedures to ensure accurate, complete and detailed records are maintained for all staff.
  • Review the practice's protocols for completion of dental care records giving due regard to guidance provided by the Faculty of General Dental Practice regarding clinical examinations and record keeping.
  • Review practice's safeguarding protocols and staff training and ensure all staff are aware of their responsibilities.

16 January 2014

During an inspection looking at part of the service

On this occasion, we did not speak with people using the service as part of our inspection.

At our visit we found that the provider had made improvements to ensure effective checks were undertaken before employing staff.

20 September 2013

During a routine inspection

People who used the service we spoke with all said they were very happy and satisfied with the care. One person said they and their family had been with the surgery for many years and were always provided with good care. 'The reception staff are very helpful. There is flexibility in getting appointments.' One person said, 'I have never had any reason to complain'. 'I would give the surgery full marks, said one person we spoke with. They said they had recently moved to the area and had joined the surgery based on a friend's recommendation. 'They are like a family here,' they said. Another person said, 'I have never had a problem,' when asked about their experience.

We found that people were involved in their care and treatment which was based on an assessment of their needs. The provider had policies and procedures in place to ensure cleanliness within the practice and staff followed suitable protocols to protect people against the risks of infection. Treatment records were accurate and stored securely. However, we found that the provider did not follow suitable recruitment procedures for all staff.