Station Road Dental Surgery

We carried out this announced focused inspection on 25 January 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 provider 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 questions:

• Is it safe?

• Is it effective?

• Is it well-led?

These questions form the framework for the areas we look at during the inspection.

Our findings were:

• The practice appeared to be visibly clean and well-maintained.
• The provider had infection control procedures which reflected published guidance.
• Staff knew how to deal with emergencies. Appropriate medicines and life-saving equipment were available.
• The provider had safeguarding processes and staff knew their responsibilities for safeguarding vulnerable adults and children.
• The provider had staff recruitment procedures which reflected current legislation.
• The clinical staff provided patients’ care and treatment in line with current guidelines.
• Staff treated patients with dignity and respect.
• Staff provided preventive care and supported patients to ensure better oral health.
• The provider had effective leadership and a culture of continuous improvement.
• Staff felt involved and supported and worked as a team.

Background

Station Road Dental Surgery is in Histon and provides NHS and private dental care and treatment for adults and children.

The practice is situated entirely on the ground floor so accessible for people who use wheelchairs and those with pushchairs.

The dental team includes five dentists, five dental nurses of whom two are trainees, three dental hygienists, one receptionist and one practice manager. The practice has six treatment rooms.

During the inspection we spoke with two dentists, two dental nurses, one 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 from 8.30am to 12.45 and 1.30pm to 5pm.

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

• Improve the practice's systems for checking and monitoring equipment, taking into account relevant guidance and ensure that all equipment is well maintained.
• Take action to implement any recommendations in the practice's fire safety risk assessment and ensure ongoing fire safety management is effective.
• Take action to ensure the practice stores dental care records securely.
• Further implement processes and systems for seeking and learning from patient feedback with a view to monitoring and improving the quality of the service.
• Establish an effective process for the on-going assessment and supervision of all staff.