Waltham Cross Dental Practice

We carried out this announced comprehensive inspection on 15 August 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 mostly reflected published guidance.
• Staff knew how to deal with medical emergencies. Appropriate medicines and life-saving equipment were available.
• The practice had 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.
• 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.
• 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

Waltham Cross Dental Practice is in Waltham Cross, Hertfordshire and provides predominantly NHS dental care and treatment for adults and children.

There is a step into the practice, so it is currently not accessible 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 a dentist and a dental nurse. The practice has 1 treatment room.

During the inspection we spoke with both members of the dental team. We looked at practice policies, procedures and other records to assess how the service is managed.

The practice is open:

Monday to Wednesday from 7.45am to 4pm

Thursday from 7.30am to 3pm

Friday 8am to 12pm.

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

• Take action to ensure the clinician takes into account the guidance provided by the College of General Dentistry when completing dental care records and ensure audits of record keeping are undertaken at regular intervals to improve the quality of the service.

• Take action to ensure the clinicians adopt an individual risk-based approach to patient recalls taking into account the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.