Weedon Healthy Tooth Team

We carried out this announced inspection on 19 November 2019 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 provider 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 five 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:

Are services safe?

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

Are services effective?

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

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.

Background

Weedon Healthy Tooth Team is in Weedon, a large village in the district of Daventry, Northamptonshire. It provides NHS and private dental care and treatment for adults and children. Services provided include general dentistry and implants.

There is one step access to the practice; the gradient is not suitable for a portable ramp to be used. Wheelchair users and those with pushchairs are helped by those accompanying them or by staff when accessing the premises.

The practice does not have its own car parking facilities. There is on street parking without time restriction within short proximity of the building.

The dental team includes five dentists, four dental nurses, three trainee dental nurses, two dental hygiene therapists, two receptionists and a practice manager. The practice has four treatment rooms, two are on ground floor level.

The practice is owned by an individual who is the principal dentist there. They have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated regulations about how the practice is run.

We sent 50 comment cards in advance of our visit to the practice for patients to complete. The practice requested more cards to be sent to them. On the day of inspection, we collected 94 CQC comment cards that had been filled in by patients. We also received feedback from 11 patients online through ‘Share your experience’. This represented a 100% response rate.

During the inspection we spoke with two dentists, two dental nurses, two receptionists and the practice manager. We looked at practice policies and procedures, patient feedback and other records about how the service is managed.

The practice is open: Monday to Friday from 8.30am to 5.30pm. The practice closes for one hour at lunchtime.

Our key findings were:

• The practice appeared to be visibly clean and well-maintained.
• The provider had infection control procedures which reflected published guidance.
• Staff knew how to deal with emergencies. Appropriate medicines and most life-saving equipment were available with some exceptions. Missing items were ordered by staff straight after our inspection.
• The provider had systems to help them manage risk to patients and staff.
• The provider had safeguarding processes and staff knew their responsibilities for safeguarding vulnerable adults and children.
• The provider had staff recruitment procedures which reflected current legislation.
• The clinical staff provided patients’ care and treatment in line with current guidelines.
• Staff treated patients with dignity and respect and 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.
• The provider had effective leadership and a culture of continuous improvement.
• Staff were committed in their roles and took pride in their work. They felt involved and supported and worked as a team.
• We received a significant amount of feedback from 105 patients. Patients were positive about all aspects of the service and spoke highly of the treatment they received, and of the staff who delivered it.
• The provider asked staff and patients for feedback about the services they provided.
• The provider dealt with complaints positively and efficiently.
• The provider had information governance arrangements.