Hitchin Dental

Updated 16 March 2016

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the practice was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

The inspection was carried out on 26 January 2016 by a lead CQC inspector, a second CQC inspector and a dental specialist advisor.

We informed the NHS England area team that we were inspecting the practice; however they had no concerns raised within the last year. We also requested details from the provider in advance of the inspection. This included their latest statement of purpose describing their values and objectives and a record of patient complaints received in the last 12 months.

During the inspection we toured the premises; spoke with the registered manager, The clinical lead dentist, five further dentists, two dental nurses, one receptionist and patients. We reviewed a range of practice policies and practice protocols and other records relating to the management of the service.

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 therefore formed the framework for the areas we looked at during the inspection.

Updated 16 March 2016

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 26 January 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

Hitchin Dental is a mixed NHS and private practice situated in the town centre of Hitchin, a market town in Hertfordshire.

The practice has 11 treatment rooms spread over two floors in a converted building. There is a waiting room on each floor, an X-ray room and an office in the main part of the building, with a conference room and staff room accessible via an external door in another area of the building.

The practice offers a full range of general dental procedures for adults and children.

The practice owner is the registered manager. A registered manager is a person who is registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. 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.

Prior to the inspection we left comment cards at the practice for patients and visitors to the practice to feedback about their experience. We also spoke to patients as part of our inspection. In total 27 people provided feedback about the service. The comments received were highly positive and pointed to the staffs’ friendly and professional manner, and how patients feel they are listened to, and their needs met.

Our key findings were:

• Patients commented that they were treated with care and compassion and that their options for treatment were explained to them.
• The practice met the essential standards in infection control as set out in the ‘Health Technical Memorandum 01-05 (HTM 01-05): Decontamination in primary care dental practices.’ Published by the Department of Health.
• There was appropriate equipment for staff to undertake their duties, and equipment was well maintained

• The provider kept emergency medicines in line with the British National Formulary (BNF) guidance for medical emergencies in dental practice.

• The practice had implemented a scheme of comprehensive training to prepare trainee dental nurses for the national examination in dental nursing.

• We identified the following example of notable practice that merits sharing during our inspection of Hitchin Dental: The practice was committed to the promotion of oral health particularly in children the practice blocks routine appointments in the half term holidays so that priority can be given to children needing to access dental care. 

• Clinical audit that was completed to highlight areas in the practice that could be improved did not always have documented action plans or learning points to facilitate the improvement.
• We identified the following example of notable practice that merits sharing during our inspection of Hitchin Dental: The practice had implemented a comprehensive training programme for dental nurses.

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

• Review the practice’s sharps procedures giving due regard to the Health and Safety (Sharp Instruments in Healthcare) Regulations 2013 with particular reference to the use of safer sharps across the practice.

• Review audit protocols to document learning points that are shared with all relevant staff and ensure that the resulting improvements can be demonstrated as part of the audit process.

• Review staff awareness of the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005 and ensure all staff are aware of their responsibilities under the Act as it relates to their role.