Archived: The Toothplace Dental Surgery Ipswich Limited

Updated 21 February 2017

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 24 January 2017 by a CQC inspector who was supported by a specialist dental adviser. During the inspection, we spoke with the owner, the practice manager, two dentists, a dental nurse and the receptionist. We reviewed policies, procedures and other documents relating to the management of the service. We received feedback from 24 patients about the quality of the service, which included comment cards and patients we spoke with during our inspection.

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 21 February 2017

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 24 January 2017 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

The Toothplace is a well-established dental practice that provides mostly NHS treatment to adults and children. The team consists of two dentists, two dental nurses, a receptionist and practice manager who serve about 3800 patients. The practice is open on Mondays to Fridays from 8.30am to 5pm but the owner occasionally works at the practice on a Saturday morning by request.

The practice is situated in a converted residential property and has two treatment rooms, a decontamination room for sterilising dental instruments and a large waiting and reception area. Additional rooms are available to the rear of the property.

The practice manager is registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) as the registered manager. 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.

Our key findings were:

• Information from 21 completed Care Quality Commission comment cards gave us a positive picture of a caring, professional and high quality service.

• The practice had good facilities and was well equipped to treat patients and meet their needs.

• The practice had systems to help ensure patient safety. These included safeguarding children and adults from abuse, maintaining the required standards of infection prevention and control, and for reporting and recording significant events.

• Risk assessment was robust and action was taken to protect staff and patients.

• Patients’ needs were assessed and care was planned and delivered in line with current best practice guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and other published guidance.

• There were sufficient numbers of suitably qualified and competent staff. Members of the dental team were up-to-date with their continuing professional development and supported to meet the requirements of their professional registration.

• Audits were wide ranging and actively used to improve the service and standards of treatment given to patients.

• There was a clear leadership structure and staff felt supported by management. The practice proactively sought feedback from staff and patients, which it acted upon.

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

• Review the use of CCTV cameras to ensure it meets guidance as set out in the Information Commissioner’s’ Office: ‘In the picture: A data protection code of practice for surveillance cameras and personal information’.

• Review responsibilities as regards to the Control of Substance Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations 2002 and, ensure all documentation is up to date and staff understand how to minimise risks associated with the use of and handling of these substances.

• Review the practice's recruitment policy and procedures to ensure written references for new staff as well as proof of identification are requested and recorded suitably

• Review the storage of dental care products and medicines requiring refrigeration to ensure they are stored in line with the manufacturer’s guidance and the fridge temperature is monitored and recorded.