Dental nurse Brent was providing treatment without being qualified

Chronos London Dental Care, in Chamberlain Road, Brent, which provides both NHS and private dental services, was inspected by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) on 6 January.

The report, published on February 22, found the practice contravened numerous provisions of the Health and Social Care Act.

The license to practice was suspended for six months by the health authorities.

The inspector noted that the employee lacks the necessary qualifications to perform some procedures. The report states: “The dental nurse, with the knowledge of the head dentist, provided treatment, including dental hygiene, issued prescriptions, performed examinations and dental x-rays, which was clearly not part of their professional activities.”

One day, a patient was booked into an emergency appointment for treatment of a broken front tooth. As there was no scheduled dentist at the time of the booking, the inspector concluded that the appointment had been made to a dental nurse who was prescribing care and treatment, including medication, without being registered with the industry regulator.

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Initially, the head dentist deactivated the dental nurses’ digital record book during the inspection.

When the inspection team was granted access after the request, it was found that the nurse had appointments on different days to perform other activities that they admitted were not compliant, such as taking x-rays.

Inspectors said the practice failed to even provide evidence of radiation protection procedures being used to ensure radiography was carried out safely.

It was also reported that staff were unsure of the use of equipment and oxygen in the event of a medical emergency during the visit. The dental team includes a senior dentist, one junior dentist, one qualified dental nurse and one trainee dental nurse.

The latest inspection was a follow-up to one carried out by the CQC in November 2022, which found four breaches of the rules. Due to the nature of the problems identified, the watchdog immediately took enforcement action, suspending the practice for six months.

Chronos London Dental Care and NHS North West London Integrated Care System Foundation Trust were approached for comment but did not respond in time for publication.

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