Updated 23 September 2019
We carried out this announced inspection on 27 August 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
Bowling Green Dental Surgery is a well-established practice that provides private treatment to approximately 1,700 patients. The dental team is small and consists of one dentist, one nurse and a receptionist. There are two treatment rooms, only one of which is in use.
The practice opens on Mondays from 9am to 7pm; on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 9am to 5pm, and on Fridays from 9am to 1pm. The practice also offers appointments on alternate Saturday mornings.
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.
On the day of inspection, we spoke with the dentist, the nurse, and the receptionist. We looked at practice policies and procedures and other records about how the service is managed. We collected 28 comment cards that had been completed by patients.
Our key findings were:
- Practice opening hours were good, and patients could get appointments in the evening one day a week, and on alternate Saturdays.
- The practice had effective systems to help ensure patient safety. These included safeguarding children and adults from abuse, maintaining the required standards of infection prevention and control, and radiation management.
- Staff treated patients with dignity and respect and took care to protect their privacy and personal information.
- Staff had the skills, knowledge and experience to deliver effective care and treatment.
- Patients’ needs were assessed, and care was planned and delivered in line with current best practice guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and other published guidance. Dental care records were of a good standard.
- Patients received their care and treatment from well supported staff, who greatly enjoyed their work.
- The practice had effective leadership and a culture of continuous audit and improvement.
- The practice asked staff and patients for feedback about the services they provided. Staff felt involved and worked well as a team.
There were areas where the provider could make improvements and should:
- Review the practice’s arrangements for receiving and responding to patient safety alerts, recalls and rapid response reports issued by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, the Central Alerting System and other relevant bodies, such as Public Health England.
- Review the practice's protocols for monitoring and recording the fridge temperature to ensure that dental care products are being stored in line with the manufacturer’s guidance.
- Review the availability of an interpreter service for patients who do not speak English as their first language.