The Care Quality Commission
  • Dentist
  • Dentist

Diamond Smiles Dental Centre Ltd

12 Skipton Road, Barnoldswick, Lancashire, BB18 5NB (01282) 853853

Provided and run by:
Diamond Smiles Dental Centre Limited

Important: The provider of this service changed - see old profile

All Inspections

6 February 2023

During a routine inspection

We carried out this announced comprehensive inspection on 6 February 2023 under section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. We planned the inspection to check whether the registered practice was meeting the legal requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated regulations. The inspection was led by a Care Quality Commission, (CQC), inspector who was supported by a specialist dental adviser.

To get to the heart of patients’ experiences of care and treatment, we always ask the following 5 questions:

• Is it safe?

• Is it effective?

• Is it caring?

• Is it responsive to people’s needs?

• Is it well-led?

These questions form the framework for the areas we look at during the inspection.

Our findings were:

  • The dental clinic was visibly clean and well-maintained.
  • The practice had infection control procedures which reflected published guidance.
  • Staff knew how to deal with medical emergencies, improvements could be made to the accessibility and monitoring of emergency equipment and medicines.
  • The practice had systems to help them manage risk to patients and staff.
  • Safeguarding processes were in place and staff knew their responsibilities for safeguarding vulnerable adults and children.
  • The practice had staff recruitment procedures in place. Improvements could be made to the process for obtaining Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks.
  • The clinical staff provided patients’ care and treatment in line with current guidelines.
  • Patients were treated with dignity and respect and staff took care to protect their privacy and personal information.
  • Staff provided preventive care and supported patients to ensure better oral health.
  • The appointment system took account of patients’ needs.
  • There was effective leadership and a culture of continuous improvement.
  • Staff felt involved and supported and worked as a team.
  • Staff and patients were asked for feedback about the services provided.
  • Complaints were dealt with positively and efficiently.
  • The dental clinic had information governance arrangements.

Background

Diamond Smiles Dental Centre Ltd is in Barnoldswick and provides NHS and private dental care and treatment for adults and children. The service offers dental implants.

There is level access to the practice for people who use wheelchairs and those with pushchairs. Car parking spaces are available near the practice.

The dental team includes 3 dentists, 2 dental nurses, 1 dental hygiene therapist, 3 receptionists and a practice manager. The practice has 3 treatment rooms.

During the inspection we spoke with 1 dentist, 1 dental nurse, the compliance manager and the practice manager. We looked at practice policies and procedures and other records about how the service is managed.

The practice is open:

Monday 8:40am to 5pm

Tuesday 10am to 6:30pm

Wednesday, Thursday and Friday 8:40am to 5:30pm

Saturday 9am-12:30pm

There were areas where the provider could make improvements. They should:

  • Implement an effective recruitment procedure to ensure that appropriate checks are completed prior to new staff commencing employment at the practice.
  • Take action to ensure the availability of equipment and medicines in the practice to manage medical emergencies, taking into account the guidelines issued by the British National Formulary and the General Dental Council.

24 March 2016

During a routine inspection

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 24 March 2016 to ask the practice the following key questions; Are services safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led?

Our findings were:

Are services safe?

We found that this practice was providing safe care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Are services effective?

We found that this practice was providing effective care in accordance with the relevantregulations.

Are services caring?

We found that this practice was providing caring services in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Are services responsive?

We found that this practice was providing responsive care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Are services well-led?

We found that this practice was providing well-led care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Background

The practice provides a range of private and some NHS dental services children for patients in and around the Barnoldswick area.

The dental practice is based on the ground and first floors of a converted building in the centre of Barnoldswick. There is a waiting room, separate reception, three treatment rooms, decontamination room, staff room/kitchen and further storage facilities.

The practice had three dentists supported by a practice manager, three dental nurses, two trainee dental nurses, hygienist and orthodontic therapists and reception staff.

The practice is open Monday and Wednesday 8:40 am to 5.00pm and Tuesday and Thursday 9:40 am to 6:30pm with Friday 9am to 1pm.

The practice owner (principal dentist) is the registered manager. 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.

Before the inspection we sent Care Quality Commission comment cards to the practice for patients to complete to tell us about their experience of the practice. We received feedback from six patients who all gave positive comments about the care and treatment they received at the practice.

Our key findings were:

  • The practice had systems to assess and manage risks to patients, including infection prevention and control, health and safety and the management of medical emergencies.
  • Premises were well maintained and a tour of the building confirmed that good cleaning and infection control systems were in place.
  • There was appropriate equipment and access to emergency drugs to enable the practice to respond to medical emergencies. This included an automated external defibrillator. Staff had been trained to manage medical emergencies.
  • There were sufficient numbers of suitably qualified staff to meet the needs of patients.
  • The practice had good facilities and was well equipped to treat patients and meet their needs.
  • Information about how to complain was available and easy to understand.
  • The dental practice had effective clinical governance and risk management structures in place.
  • There were systems to monitor and continually improve the quality of the service; including through a programme of clinical and non-clinical audits.
  • The practice had a positive relationship with local primary schools holding educational sessions in the schools to promote good dental hygiene.

There were areas where the provider could make improvements and should:

  • Review the staff recruitment process to ensure all information is available prior to recruitment.