Cygnet House Dental Studio Limited

We carried out this announced inspection on 5 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 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 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

Cygnet House Dental Studio is in Spilsby, a market town in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire. It provides private dental treatment only to adults and children.

There is level access for people who use wheelchairs and those with pushchairs. Ample car parking spaces are available directly outside the practice in a free car park.

The dental team includes one dentist, two dental nurses (including one who works as the practice manager), one dental hygienist and one receptionist. The practice has two treatment rooms in use on the ground floor. There is a treatment room on the first floor that is not currently in use, but the provider is planning for it to be used for dental implants.

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 Cygnet House Dental Studio Ltd is the principal dentist.

We sent 50 comment cards in advance of our visit to the practice for patients to complete. On the day of inspection, we collected 21 CQC comment cards that had been filled in by patients. This represented a 42% response rate.

During the inspection we spoke with the principal dentist, the hygienist, two dental nurses (including the practice manager) and the receptionist. We looked at practice policies and procedures, patient feedback and other records about how the service is managed.

The practice is open: Monday, Tuesday from 9am to 5pm, Wednesday from 9am to 5.30pm and Thursday from 9am to 4.30pm. It is closed on Fridays.

Our key findings were:

• The practice appeared clean and well maintained.
• 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 provider 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.
• The provider had thorough staff recruitment procedures.
• 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 culture of continuous improvement.
• Staff were committed in their roles and took pride in their work. They felt involved and supported and worked well as a team.
• Patients were positive about all aspects of the service the practice provided 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 suitable information governance arrangements.