Background

Ladbroke Grove Dental Care is located in the London Borough of Kensington & Chelsea. The practice provides NHS and private dental treatment to both adults and children. The premises are on the basement, ground and first floor and consist of five treatment rooms, an X-ray room, a reception area and two decontamination rooms. The practice is open Monday and Wednesday 9:00am – 7:30pm, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 9:00am – 6:00pm and Saturday 9:30am – 1:30pm.

The staff consists of seven associate dentists, two dental hygienists, two dental nurses, three trainee dental nurses, a receptionist, a business operations manager and a practice manager.

The practice owners are the registered managers. 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.

We reviewed 21 CQC comment cards and the NHS Friends and Family test. Patients were positive about the service. They were complimentary about the friendly and caring attitude of the staff.

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

Our key findings were:

• There were appropriate equipment and access to emergency drugs to enable the practice to respond to medical emergencies. Staff knew where equipment was stored.
• We found the dentists regularly assessed each patient’s gum health and took X-rays at appropriate intervals.
• Patients were involved in their care and treatment planning so they could make informed decisions.
• There were effective processes in place to reduce and minimise the risk and spread of infection.
• The practice had effective safeguarding processes in place and staff understood their responsibilities for safeguarding adults and child protection.
• Equipment, such as the autoclave (steriliser), fire extinguishers, and X-ray equipment had all been checked for effectiveness and had been regularly serviced.
• Patients were treated with dignity and respect and confidentiality was maintained.
• The practice had implemented clear procedures for managing comments, concerns or complaints.
• Patients indicated that they found the team to be efficient, professional, caring and reassuring.
• Patients had good access to appointments, including emergency appointments, which were available on the same day.
• Patients’ needs were assessed and care was planned in line with current guidance such as from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).
• Leadership structures were clear and there were processes in place for dissemination of information and feedback to staff.

The practice’s own survey and the NHS 'Vital Signs at a Glance' surveys both showed good satisfaction rates for people using the practice. The practice was recently awarded the British Dental Association (BDA) Good Practice Award. This demonstrated that the quality of the provider’s service was monitored and that the views of people were sought to identify areas for improvement.

There were effective systems in place to reduce the risk and spread of infection. On the day of the inspection the practice was clean and well maintained. From recent survey results 75 percent of patients rated the comfort and cleanliness of the practice as ‘’very good’’ and 25 percent as ‘’good’’.

Staff received appropriate professional development. Staff we spoke with told us they received regular appraisals and training and were able to access ad hoc supervision when they need to.

The quality of the practice was routinely monitored and assessed. Regular audits were carried out on infection control, radiation, decontamination and medical records. Dependent on the outcome of the results of these audits, improvements would be discussed and relevant changes made.