A dental practice in central Reading has been offering sedation without safe systems in place, according to a health watchdog inspection. 

Friar Street Dental Practice in 15 Friar Street was inspected by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) on October 9. 

Inspectors found that the practice was not meeting all regulation requirements when it came to safety or leadership. 

This included finding that the practice offered conscious sedation for patients - but 'did not have systems to do this safely'.

In the report, a CQC inspector said: "The practice did not have appropriate emergency equipment and medicines.

"Evidence of immediate life support - or basic life support plus patient assessment, airway management techniques and AED training - for both the operator and clinician supporting treatment was not available."

The practice was also unable to produce proof that staff had undergone specific sedation training. 

The inspector added: "Evidence of 12 hours verifiable sedation related training - 5-year cycle - for both the operator and clinician supporting treatment was not available."

Other concerns around safety included X-ray equipment being left on in empty treatment rooms and operators being in controlled areas while X-rays were taken. 

The practice did not have effective infection control procedures, the CQC also found, with needle guards not available in any treatment rooms. 

The CQC ruled that its concerns around safety were 'minor' for patients using the service.

"Once the shortcomings have been put right the likelihood of them occurring in the future is low," an inspector commented in the recent report. 

Friar Street Dental Practice, which has been in business for more than 40 years, was found to meet regulations around care, responsiveness, and effectiveness. 

A representative from the practice said staff were 'already implementing measures to address the areas identified by the CQC'.

The representative said: "We have acknowledged the findings of the report and take our responsibility to meet regulatory standards very seriously.

"We are committed to providing the highest standard of care and are already implementing measures to address the areas identified by the CQC."

The dental surgery has a total of 213 reviews on Google, with an average rating of 4.6 stars out of five. 

Inspections look to see whether dental practices are meeting regulations to ensure they are safe, effective, caring, responsive, and well-led.