Market Street Dental Practice

We carried out this announced comprehensive inspection on 28 February 2024 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 practice 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 advisor.

To get to the heart of patients’ experiences of care and treatment, we always ask the following 5 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:

• The dental clinic appeared clean and well-maintained.
• The practice had infection control procedures which reflected published guidance.
• Staff knew how to deal with medical emergencies. Appropriate medicines and life-saving equipment were available.
• The practice had systems to manage risks for patients, staff, equipment and the premises. Improvements could be made to the system for manging the risks associated with fire and legionella.
• Safeguarding processes were in place and staff knew their responsibilities for safeguarding vulnerable adults and children.
• The practice had staff recruitment procedures which reflected current legislation. Improvements could be made to the system for obtaining Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks.
• Clinical staff provided patients’ care and treatment in line with current guidelines.
• Patients were treated with dignity and respect. Staff took care to protect patients’ privacy and personal information.
• Staff provided preventive care and supported patients to ensure better oral health.
• The appointment system worked efficiently to respond to patients’ needs.
• The frequency of appointments was agreed between the dentist and the patient, giving due regard to National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines.
• There was effective leadership and a culture of continuous improvement.
• Staff felt involved, supported and worked as a team.
• Staff and patients were asked for feedback about the services provided.
• Complaints were dealt with positively and efficiently.
• The practice had information governance arrangements.

Background

Market Street Dental Practice is in Wigan and provides NHS and private dental care and treatment for adults and children.

There is step free access to the practice for people who use wheelchairs and those with pushchairs. Car parking spaces are available near the practice. The practice has made reasonable adjustments to support patients with access requirements.

The dental team includes 9 dentists (1 of whom has a special interest in orthodontics), 7 qualified dental nurses, 3 trainee dental nurses, 2 dental hygienists, 1 orthodontic therapist, 3 receptionists and 2 practice managers. The practice has 8 treatment rooms.

During the inspection we spoke with 3 dentists, 2 qualified dental nurses and both practice managers. We looked at practice policies, procedures and other records to assess how the service is managed.

The practice is open:

Monday to Thursday from 8.30am to 5pm

Friday from 8.30am to 4pm

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

• Take action to implement any recommendations in the practice's fire safety risk assessment and ensure ongoing fire safety management is effective.
• Take action to implement any recommendations in the practice's Legionella risk assessment, taking into account the guidelines issued by the Department of Health in the Health Technical Memorandum 01-05: Decontamination in primary care dental practices, and having regard to The Health and Social Care Act 2008: ‘Code of Practice about the prevention and control of infections and related guidance.
• Improve the recruitment procedure to ensure that appropriate checks are completed prior to new staff commencing employment at the practice.