The Village Dental Care

We are mindful of the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on our regulatory function. This meant we took account of the exceptional circumstances arising as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic when considering what enforcement action was necessary and proportionate to keep people safe as a result of this inspection. We will continue to monitor the service to keep people safe and to hold providers to account where it is necessary for us to do so.

We carried out this announced inspection on 09 March 2020 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.

Background

The Village Dental Practice is in Adlington and provides NHS and private dental care and treatment for adults and children.

There is level access to the practice for people who use wheelchairs and those with pushchairs. Car parking spaces, including dedicated parking for people with disabilities, are available near the practice.

The dental team includes two dentists, three dental nurses (of whom one is a trainee), two dental hygienists and two receptionists. The practice has three treatment rooms.

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 collected 10 CQC comment cards filled in by patients.

During the inspection we spoke with two dentists, two dental nurses, one dental hygienist and one receptionist. We looked at practice policies and procedures and other records about how the service is managed.

The practice is open:

Monday to Friday 8.00 – 17.30

Late evening and Saturday appointments are available by prior arrangement.

Our key findings were:

• The practice appeared to be visibly clean and well-maintained.
• The provider did have infection control procedures which reflected published guidance.
• Staff knew how to deal with emergencies. Appropriate life-saving equipment was not fully available.
• The provider did not have effective systems to help them manage risk to patients and staff. The practices fire safety checks did not reflect guidance. There was no evidence of the fixed electrical wiring safety certificate.
• The provider had safeguarding processes and staff knew their responsibilities for safeguarding vulnerable adults and children. The contact details for local safeguarding boards, in the safeguarding policy, did not reflect the geographical area of their patients.
• The provider’s staff recruitment procedures and information obtained did reflect current legislation. The practices recruitment policy did not reflect the procedures undertaken for staff recruitment.
• The clinical staff did not fully provide 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 did not have effective leadership and a culture of continuous improvement.
• The provider asked staff and patients for feedback about the services they provided.
• The provider dealt with complaints positively and efficiently.

We identified regulations the provider was not complying with. They must:

• Establish effective systems and procedures to ensure good governance in accordance with the fundamental standards of care.

Full details of the regulations the provider was not meeting are at the end of this report.

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

• Improve and develop staff awareness of the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and ensure all staff are aware of their responsibilities under the Act as it relates to their role.
• Improve the practice’s safeguarding policy and ensure it takes into account the contact details of the local safeguarding boards both for adults and children from differing locality areas.