Archived: 57 Dental Care

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 13 December 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

57 Dental Care is situated in a converted two story house, located in Cleckheaton in the Metropolitan borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire. It provides private and NHS treatment to patients of all ages. There are four treatment rooms, a waiting and reception area, a second waiting area on the first floor, a decontamination room for sterilising dental instruments, a staff room/kitchen and a general office. There is also a disused annex attached to the building which was previously the original dental practice.

Access for wheelchair users or pushchairs is possible from a step free entrance which leads into the reception and waiting area. Car parking is available nearby.

The dental team is comprised of six dentists (one of which is the principal and foundation training dentist and two are foundation dentists), four dental nurses, two trainee dental nurses, two receptionists and a practice manager.

The practice is open:

Monday to Thursday 8:00am – 5:00pm.

Friday 8:00am – 5:00pm.

Saturday by appointment only.

The principal dentist is registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) as an individual registered person. 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.

On the day of inspection we received 31 CQC comment cards providing feedback. The patients who provided feedback were very positive about the care and attention to treatment they received at the practice. They told us they were involved in all aspects of their care and found the staff to be caring, reassuring and helpful, the staff were good at communicating information and it was a happy environment. Patients commented they could access emergency care easily and they were treated with dignity and respect in a clean and tidy environment.

Our key findings were:

• The practice had systems in place to assess and manage risks to patients and staff including infection prevention and control, health and safety and the management of medical emergencies.
• The practice was visibly clean and uncluttered.
• Staff had received safeguarding training, knew how to recognise signs of abuse and how to report it. They had very good systems in place to work closely and share information with the local safeguarding team.
• There were sufficient numbers of suitably qualified staff to meet the needs of patients.
• Infection control procedures were in accordance with the published guidelines.
• Oral health advice and treatment were provided in-line with the ‘Delivering Better Oral Health’ toolkit (DBOH).
• Treatment was well planned and provided in line with current best practice guidelines.
• Patients received clear explanations about their proposed treatment, costs, benefits and risks and were involved in making decisions about it.
• Patients were treated with dignity and respect and confidentiality was maintained.
• The appointment system met patients’ needs.
• The practice was well-led and staff felt involved and supported and worked well as a team.
• The governance systems were effective and embedded.
• The practice sought feedback from staff and patients about the services they provided.
• There were clearly defined leadership roles within the practice and staff felt supported at all levels.

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

• Review the frequency of checking emergency drugs and expiry dates, ensure all ancillary equipment is in date and available should emergency treatment be needed to comply with Resuscitation Council UK guidelines.
• Review the practice’s arrangements for recording patient safety alerts, recalls and rapid response reports issued from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and through the Central Alerting System (CAS), as well as from other relevant bodies such as, Public Health England (PHE).
• Review the current legionella risk assessment and implement the required actions giving due regard to the guidelines issued by the Department of Health - Health Technical Memorandum 01-05: Decontamination in primary care dental practices and The Health and Social Care Act 2008: ‘Code of Practice about the prevention and control of infections and related guidance.
• Review the fire safety management process to include regular practice fire drills.
• Review the equipment testing procedures ensuring daily automatic control tests are carried out on the sterilisers to bring in line with recommended guidance from the Department of Health: Health Technical Memorandum 01-05 (HTM 01-05): Decontamination in primary care dental practices.
• Review current X-ray audit procedures to bring in line with the National Radiological Protection Board (NRPB) guidance.