A dental hospital in Leeds has been declared unsafe after filthy surgeries, cluttered waiting rooms and mountains of clinical waste were uncovered by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
The CQC have rated Rothwell Dental Surgery as “Requires Improvement” after witnessing a litany of hygiene issues.
Included in the inspector’s observations were dirty treatment rooms, dental burs used to drill teeth that were unclean, stained floors and a decontamination room which was also used to make hot drinks for staff.
Unhappy staff
Speaking to the Yorkshire Evening Post, one former staff member said, “I know people are going in there and patients are not safe and I just think it’s a ticking timebomb.
“The CQC may go back but in the meantime these patients are being seen in a practice with huge, huge issues. I think it’s disgusting.”
Waste hygiene issues
One of the more disconcerting features of the report was the surgery’s record on clinical waste.
According to the CQC, “The practice had a contract for the collection of clinical waste. This was for six bags of clinical waste each month. The waste collection was at the end of each month.
“On the day we visited, we saw the clinical waste bins used to store clinical waste were full.
“We were told that excess clinical waste was stored in the cellar until the clinical waste bins were collected. It was evident that the contract for the collection of clinical waste was insufficient.”
Underestimating the amount of waste collection your business requires can be dangerous to public health, especially in a dental surgery collecting a large amount of toxic materials in a day.
We recommend a thorough and regular clinical waste programme for your surgery, whether you’re a dentist or a general practitioner. All it takes is one random health check for the CQC to voice major concerns. For more information, get in touch.
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