Bhandal Dental Practice - 190 High Street

Updated 23 June 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.

This inspection took place on 19 April 2016 and was led by a CQC inspector and supported by a specialist dental advisor. Prior to the inspection, we reviewed information we held about the provider. We informed NHS England area team that we were inspecting the practice and we did not receive any information of concern from them. We asked the practice to send us some information that we reviewed. This included the complaints they had received in the last 12 months, their latest statement of purpose, and the details of their staff members including proof of registration with their professional bodies.

During our inspection we toured the premises; we reviewed policy documents and staff records and spoke with five members of staff including the registered manager. We looked at the storage arrangements for emergency medicines and equipment. We were shown the decontamination procedures for dental instruments and the computer system that supported the dental care records and patient dental health education programme.

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 23 June 2016

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 19 April 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

Bhandal Dental Practice - 190 High street has 10 dentists, 13 qualified dental nurses who are registered with the General Dental Council (GDC) and two receptionists. The practice’s opening hours are from 9am to 5.30pm Monday to Friday. The practice is closed between 1.30pm and 2.30pm Monday to Friday.

Bhandal Dental Practice provides NHS and private treatment for adults and children. The practice is situated in a converted property. There are dental treatment rooms on the ground floor and on the first floor; the first floor treatment rooms are rarely used. There is a separate decontamination room for cleaning, sterilising and packing dental instruments. There is also a reception and a main waiting area on the ground floor.

The registered manager was present during this inspection. 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.

Before the inspection we sent Care Quality Commission comments cards to the practice for patients to complete to tell us about their experience of the practice and during the inspection we spoke with patients. We received feedback from 16 patients who provided an overwhelmingly positive view of the services the practice provides. All of the patients commented that the quality of care was very good.

Our key findings were:

• Systems were in place for the recording and learning from significant events and accidents.
• There were sufficient numbers of suitably qualified staff to meet the needs of patients.
• Patients were treated with dignity and respect.
• The practice was visibly clean and well maintained.
• The provider had emergency medicines in line with the British National Formulary (BNF) guidance for medical emergencies in dental practice.
• Staff had been trained to deal with medical emergencies.
• The practice kept up to date with current guidelines when considering the care and treatment needs of patients.
• Infection prevention and control systems were in place, and audits were completed on a six monthly basis.
• Options for treatment were identified and explored and patients said they were involved in making decisions about their treatment.
• Patients’ confidentiality was maintained.
• The appointment system met the needs of patients and waiting times were kept to a minimum.
• Health promotion advice was given to patients appropriate to their individual needs such as smoking cessation or dietary advice.
• Some staff from within the practice visited local schools to provide oral health and hygiene advice to children.