The Care Quality Commission
  • Dentist
  • Dentist

Broadway Dental Clinic

80 The Broadway, Loughton, Essex, IG10 3ST (020) 8508 4433

Provided and run by:
Mr Tai-Sean Chiang

Important: The provider of this service changed - see old profile

All Inspections

24 October 2023

During a routine inspection

We carried out this announced comprehensive inspection on 24 October 2023 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:

  • The dental clinic appeared 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 most life-saving equipment were available. The practice had put processes in place to replace out of date equipment.
  • The practice had some systems to manage 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. Not all records contained hepatitis B immunity records.
  • 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.
  • There was effective leadership and a culture of continuous improvement.
  • 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

Broadway Dental Clinic is in Loughton, Essex and provides NHS and private dental care and treatment for adults and children.

There is step free access to the practice for people who use wheelchairs and those with pushchairs. Car parking spaces, including dedicated parking for disabled people, are available near the practice. The practice has made reasonable adjustments to support patients with access requirements.

The dental team includes 6 dentists including 1 foundation dentist, 1 visiting specialist, 6 dental nurses including 1 trainee dental nurse, 1 dental hygienist, 1 practice manager and 1 receptionist. The practice has 4 treatment rooms.

During the inspection we spoke with 3 dentists, 2 dental nurses, 1 receptionist and the practice manager. We looked at practice policies, procedures and other records to assess how the service is managed.

The practice is open:

Monday to Thursday from 9am to 5.15pm.

Friday from 9am to 4.30pm.

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

  • Implement audits for prescribing of antibiotic medicines taking into account the guidance provided by the College of General Dentistry. In addition, improve the practice protocols regarding auditing patient dental care records to check that necessary information is recorded.
  • Take action to ensure the availability of equipment in the practice to manage medical emergencies taking into account the guidelines issued by the Resuscitation Council (UK) and the General Dental Council.
  • Improve the practice's recruitment policy and procedures to ensure accurate, complete and detailed records are maintained for all staff. In particular, staff training records and hepatitis B immunity status.
  • Take action to implement any recommendations in the practice's fire safety risk assessment and ensure ongoing fire safety management is effective. In addition ensure the air conditioning system is serviced in line with manufacturers recommendation.

20/05/2015

During a routine inspection

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 20 May 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 providing safe care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Are services effective?

We found that this practice was 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 providing well-led care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 20 May 2015.

The practice employs five dentists including a foundation dentist in training who works at the practice under the supervision of a qualified dentist. The dentists are supported by a practice manager and six dental nurses that also undertake reception duties. The practice has four surgeries, a separate decontamination room and an X-ray suite.

The practice provides primary dental services to mainly NHS patients but also provides private care. It is a training practice where newly qualified dentists work under the supervision of experienced colleagues. The practice is open Monday to Thursday between the hours of 9am and 5.15pm and Fridays between the hours of 9am and 430pm. They are open on alternate Saturdays.

We spoke with three patients during the inspection. They told us that they were very happy with the services provided, that the staff treated then with dignity and respect and the dentists provided them with a clear explanation of treatment including options and associated costs.

We viewed CQC comment cards that had been left for patients to complete, prior to our visit, about the services provided. There were seven completed comment cards and all of them reflected positive comments about the staff and the services provided, describing the dentists as kind and caring. Patients commented that the dentists clearly explained treatment options and costs and they found the quality of the dentistry to be excellent.

The provider was providing care which was safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led and the regulations were being met.

Our key findings were:

  • The practice recorded and analysed significant events and complaints and cascaded learning to staff.
  • Where mistakes had been made patients were notified about the outcome of any investigation and given a suitable apology.
  • Staff had received safeguarding and whistleblowing training and knew the processes to follow to raise any concerns.
  • There were sufficient numbers of suitably qualified staff to meet the needs of patients.
  • Staff had been trained to handle emergencies and appropriate medicines and life-saving equipment were readily available.
  • Infection control procedures were robust and the practice followed published guidance. Infection control audits were taking place annually and not every six months as required by the relevant published guidance.
  • Patient’s care and treatment was planned and delivered in line with evidence based guidelines, best practice and current legislation.
  • Patients received clear explanations about their proposed treatment, costs, benefits and risks and were involved in making decisions about it.
  • Patients were treated with dignity and respect and confidentiality was maintained.
  • The appointment system met the needs of patients and waiting times were kept to a minimum.
  • There was an effective complaints system and the practice was open and transparent with patients if a mistake had been made.
  • The practice was well-led and staff felt involved and worked as a team.
  • Governance systems were effective and there was a range of clinical and non-clinical audits to monitor the quality of services.
  • The practice sought feedback from staff and patients about the services they provided.

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

  • Ensure that discussions and learning from staff meetings are clearly documented to reflect that governance and safety issues are discussed with staff, improvements actioned and that there are clear lines of accountability.
  • Update the radiation protection documents to reflect the names of the current staff qualified to use X-ray equipment at the practice.
  • Undertake infection control audits every six months.
  • Monitor fridge temperatures to ensure that medicines and dental materials are effective.