Updated 20 December 2018
We undertook a follow up focused inspection of Dalton Dental Care on 16 November 2018. This inspection was carried out to review in detail the actions taken by the registered provider to improve the quality of care and to confirm that the practice was now meeting legal requirements.
The inspection was led by a CQC inspector who was supported by a specialist dental adviser.
We undertook a focused inspection of Dalton Dental Care on 17 May 2018 under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. We found the registered provider was not providing effective and well led care and was in breach of regulation 9, 17 and 18 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. You can read our report of that inspection by selecting the 'all reports' link for Dalton Dental Care on our website www.cqc.org.uk.
As part of this inspection we asked:
• Is it effective?
• Is it caring?
• Is it responsive to people’s needs?
• Is it well-led?
When one or more of the five questions are not met we require the service to make improvements and send us an action plan (requirement notice only). We then inspect again after a reasonable interval, focusing on the area(s) where improvement was required. The focused inspection carried out on 17 May 2018 did not cover the caring and responsive elements of our inspection process; we covered these areas during the focused follow up inspection on 16 November 2018.
Our findings were:
Are services effective?
We found this practice was providing effective care in accordance with the relevant regulations.
The provider had made improvements in relation to the regulatory breaches we found at our inspection on 17 May 2018.
Are services caring?
We found this practice was providing caring services in accordance with the relevant regulations.
Are services responsive?
We found this practice was providing responsive care in accordance with the relevant regulations.
Are services well-led?
We found this practice was providing well-led care in accordance with the relevant regulations.
The provider had made improvements in relation to the regulatory breach we found at our inspection on 17 May 2018.
Background
Dalton Dental Care is in Rotherham and is part of the Nationwide Healthcare Limited group. Dalton Dental Care provides NHS and private treatment to adults and children.
There is level access for people who use wheelchairs and those with pushchairs. Car parking spaces are available near the practice.
The dental team includes two dentists, a lead dental nurse, two trainee dental nurses, two receptionists and a practice manager. The practice has three treatment rooms and an instrument decontamination room. On the inspection day the regional clinical quality care manager joined the team to assist with the inspection.
The practice is owned by a company and as a condition of registration must have a person registered with the Care Quality Commission as the registered manager. Registered managers have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated regulations about how the practice is run. The registered manager at Dalton Dental Care was one of the Directors.
On the day of inspection we collected 21 CQC comment cards filled in by patients.
During the inspection we spoke with one dentist, the lead dental nurse, the receptionist, the practice manager and the clinical quality care manager. We looked at practice policies and procedures and other records about how the service is managed.
The practice is open:
Monday – Friday 9am – 6pm
Our key findings were:
- The provider had infection control procedures which reflected published guidance.
- Staff knew how to deal with emergencies. Appropriate medicines and life-saving equipment were available.
- The practice had systems to help them manage risk to patients and staff.
- The provider had suitable safeguarding processes and staff knew their responsibilities for safeguarding vulnerable adults and children.
- Staff were supported with training, professional development, supervision and appraisals.
- The clinical staff provided patients’ care and treatment in line with current guidelines and provided preventive care and supported patients to ensure better oral health.
- Clinical waste processes were in line with recommended guidance.
- The provider had effective leadership and culture of continuous improvement.
- Staff felt involved and supported and worked well as a team.
There were areas where the provider could make improvements. They should:
- Review the size of the medical oxygen cylinder to ensure it has the capacity to allow adequate flow rates, eg, 15 litres per minute, until the arrival of an ambulance or the patient fully recovers.