The Care Quality Commission
  • Dentist
  • Dentist

The Mount Dental Practice

39-41 Peterson Road, Wakefield, West Yorkshire, WF1 4DU (01924) 386732

Provided and run by:
Mulli Limited

All Inspections

13 June 2023

During a routine inspection

We carried out this announced comprehensive inspection on 13 June 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 advisor.

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 appeared clean and well-maintained.
  • The practice should make improvements to the infection control procedures to ensure they reflect published guidance.
  • Staff knew how to deal with medical emergencies. Appropriate medicines and life-saving equipment were available.
  • The practice had systems to manage risks for patients, staff, equipment and the premises.
  • Safeguarding processes were in place and staff knew their responsibilities for safeguarding vulnerable adults and children.
  • The practice had staff recruitment procedures which reflected current legislation.
  • Clinical staff provided patients’ care and treatment in line with current guidelines.
  • Patients were treated with dignity and respect. Staff took care to protect patients’ privacy and personal information.
  • Staff provided preventive care and supported patients to ensure better oral health.
  • The appointment system worked efficiently to respond to patients’ needs.
  • The frequency of appointments was agreed between the dentist and the patient, giving due regard to National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines.
  • There was effective leadership and a culture of continuous improvement.
  • Staff felt involved, 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 practice had information governance arrangements.

Background

The Mount Dental Practice is in Wakefield and provides NHS dental care and treatment for adults and children.

There is step free access to the practice for people who use wheelchairs and those with pushchairs. Car parking spaces, including dedicated parking for disabled people, are available near the practice. The practice has made reasonable adjustments to support patients with access requirements including having ground floor treatment rooms, an accessible toilet and a hearing loop for patients with hearing difficulties.

The dental team includes 5 dentists, 4 dental nurses and 2 receptionists. The practice has 4 treatment rooms, which are all on the ground floor.

During the inspection we spoke with 1 dentist, 3 dental nurses and the practice manager. We looked at practice policies, procedures and other records to assess how the service is managed.

The practice is open: Monday to Thursday from 8:30am to 5:30pm and Friday from 8:30am to 5pm

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

  • Improve the practice’s infection control procedures and protocols taking into account the guidelines issued by the Department of Health in the Health Technical Memorandum 01-05: Decontamination in primary care dental practices and having regard to The Health and Social Care Act 2008: ‘Code of Practice about the prevention and control of infections and related guidance’. In particular regular testing of equipment used in the infection control procedures to ensure they are working in line with the manufacturer’s guidelines.

  • Improve the practice's protocols and procedures for the use of X-ray equipment in compliance with The Ionising Radiations Regulations 2017 and Ionising Radiation (Medical Exposure) Regulations 2017 and taking into account the guidance for Dental Practitioners on the Safe Use of X-ray Equipment.

25 October 2016

During a routine inspection

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 25 October 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 relevant regulations.

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 Mount Dental Practice is situated in Wakefield, West Yorkshire. The practice offers mainly NHS dental treatment to patients of all ages and also offers private dental treatments. The services include preventative advice and treatment, routine restorative dental care and dental implants.

The practice has four surgeries, a decontamination room, an X-ray room, a waiting area and a reception area. All of the facilities are on the ground floor of the premises along with accessible toilets.

There are four dentists, one dental hygiene therapist, four dental nurses, two receptionists, a clinical lead and an area manager.

The opening hours are Monday to Thursday from 8-30am to 5-30pm and Friday from 8-30am to 5-00pm.

The area manager 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.

During the inspection we received feedback from 12 patients. The patients were positive about the care and treatment they received at the practice. Comments included staff were friendly, caring and professional. They also commented the practice was safe and hygienic.

Our key findings were:

  • The practice was visibly clean and uncluttered.
  • The practice had systems in place to assess and manage risks to patients and staff including health and safety and the management of medical emergencies.
  • Staff were qualified and had received training appropriate to their roles.
  • Patients were involved in making decisions about their treatment and were given clear explanations about their proposed treatment including costs, benefits and risks.
  • Dental care records showed that treatment was planned in line with current best practice guidelines.
  • Oral health advice and treatment were provided in-line with the ‘Delivering Better Oral Health’ toolkit (DBOH).
  • We observed that patients were treated with kindness and respect by staff.
  • Staff ensured there was sufficient time to explain fully the care and treatment they were providing in a way patients understood.
  • The practice had a complaints system in place and there was an openness and transparency in how these were dealt with.
  • Patients were able to make routine and emergency appointments when needed.
  • The governance systems were effective.
  • There were clearly defined leadership roles within the practice and staff told us that they felt supported, appreciated and comfortable to raise concerns or make suggestions.

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

  • Review the practice’s sharps procedures giving due regard to the Health and Safety (Sharp Instruments in Healthcare) Regulations 2013.
  • Review the storage of dental care records to ensure they are stored securely.
  • Review the practice’s process for carrying out regular minuted staff meetings.