Updated 14 January 2022
We undertook a follow-up focused inspection of The Aldershot Dental Centre on 10 January 2022.
This inspection was carried out to review, in detail, the actions taken by the registered provider to improve the quality of care and to confirm that the practice was now meeting legal requirements.
The inspection was led by a Care Quality Commission, (CQC), inspector who was supported by a specialist dental adviser.
At our inspection on 15 October 2021 we found the registered provider was not providing well-led care and was in breach of Regulation 19 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014.
You can read our report of that inspection by selecting the 'all reports' link for Aldershot Dental Centre on our website www.cqc.org.uk.
As part of this inspection we asked:
- Is it well-led?
When one or more of the five questions are not met, we require the service to make improvements and send us an action plan. We then inspect again after a reasonable interval, focusing on the area where improvement was required.
Our findings were:
Are services well-led?
We found this practice was providing well-led care in accordance with the relevant regulations.
The provider had made improvements in relation to the regulatory breach we found at our inspection on 15 October 2021.
Background
Aldershot Dental Centre, known as Teeth for Life, is in Aldershot and provides NHS and private dental care and treatment for adults and children.
The practice is based in the first floor of a converted church. The practice is accessed by a patient lift. Currently Covid 19 has restricted use of the lift. Patients affected by this barrier are directed to a wheelchair accessible sister practice nearby. Car parking, including dedicated parking for disabled people, is available near the practice.
The dental team includes seven dentists, eight dental nurses, one dental hygienist, three receptionists, one administrator and a practice manager. The practice has six treatment rooms.
The practice is owned by a partnership and as a condition of registration must have a person registered with the CQC as the registered manager. Registered managers 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 registered manager at the practice is the practice manager.
During the inspection we spoke with the practice manager.
The practice is open:
- Monday to Friday 9.00am to 5.00pm
Our key findings were:
- The provider had infection control procedures which reflected published guidance.
- The provider had systems to help them manage risk to patients and staff.
- The provider had quality assurance processes to encourage learning and continuous improvement.
These improvements showed the provider had taken action to improve the quality of services for patients and comply with the regulations when we carried out a follow-up focused inspection on 10 January 2022.