Archived: St Georges Dental Practice

We carried out this announced inspection on 21 August 2018 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

St Georges Dental Practice is in Chorley and provides NHS and private dental treatment to adults and children.

There is assisted access for people who use wheelchairs and those with pushchairs. Car parking spaces are available near the practice.

The dental team includes two partner dentists, seven associate dentists,16 dental nurses, of whom four are trainee dental nurses, one dental hygienist, two dental hygiene therapists and four receptionists. There is a practice manager who is supported by two assistant practice managers. All of the management team are qualified dental nurses. The practice has nine treatment rooms.

The practice is owned by a partnership and as a condition of registration must have a person registered with the Care Quality Commission as the registered manager. Registered managers have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated regulations about how the practice is run. The registered manager at St Georges Dental Practice is one of the partners.

During the inspection we spoke with two dentists, one dental nurse, one dental hygiene therapist, three receptionists and the practice management team. We looked at practice policies and procedures and other records about how the service is managed.

The practice is open:

Monday 8.15am – 6.15pm

Tuesday and Wednesday 8.15am – 5.15pm

Thursday 9.00am - 5.00pm

Friday 8.15am – 5.15pm

Our key findings were:

• The practice appeared clean and well maintained.
• The provider had infection control procedures which reflected published guidance.
• Staff knew how to deal with emergencies. Appropriate medicines and life-saving equipment were available.
• The practice had systems to help them manage risk to patients and staff.
• The practice staff had suitable safeguarding processes and staff knew their responsibilities for safeguarding vulnerable adults and children.
• The provider had thorough staff recruitment procedures.
• The clinical staff provided 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.
• The provider was providing preventive care and supporting patients to ensure better oral health.
• The appointment system met patients’ needs.
• The practice had effective leadership and culture of continuous improvement.
• Staff felt involved and supported and worked well as a team.
• The practice asked staff and patients for feedback about the services they provided.
• The provider dealt with complaints positively and efficiently.
• The provider had suitable information governance arrangements.

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

• Ensure checks of the fire alarm system, emergency lighting and firefighting equipment are carried out at regular intervals and recorded appropriately.