Upton Dental Practice

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

The practice is situated in Upton, Wirral. The practice has been refurbished to a high standard. The practice has four dentists, one dental hygienist, three qualified dental nurses, one trainee dental nurse, receptionists and a practice manager. The practice provides primary dental services to predominately NHS patients and some private patients. The practice is open:

Monday 9am – 1pm and 2pm -5.30pm

Tuesday 9am – 1pm and 2pm -5.30pm

Wednesday 9am – 1pm and 2pm -5.30pm

Thursday 9am – 1pm and 2pm -5.30pm

Friday 9am – 1pm and 2pm -5pm

The principal dentist is the registered manager. A registered manager is registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. 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.

We received feedback from 20 patients about the service. The 13 comment cards seen and seven patients spoken to reflect very positive comments about the staff and the services provided. Patients commented that the practice appeared very clean and tidy and they found the staff very caring, friendly and professional. They had trust and confidence in the dental treatments and said explanations from clinical staff were clear and understandable. Emergency appointments were available each day and appointments usually ran on time.

Our key findings were:

• The practice recorded and analysed accidents, incidents and complaints and cascaded learning to staff when they occurred.
• Staff had received safeguarding training and knew the processes to follow to raise any concerns.
• There were sufficient numbers of suitably qualified staff to meet the needs of patients.
• Staff had been trained to deal with medical emergencies and emergency medicines and emergency equipment were available.
• Infection prevention and control procedures were in place.
• Patients’ care and treatment was planned and delivered in line with evidence based guidelines, best practice and current legislation.
• Patients received clear explanations about their proposed treatment, costs, benefits and risks and were involved in making decisions about it.
• Patients were treated with dignity and respect and their confidentiality was maintained.
• The appointment system met the needs of patients and waiting times were kept to a minimum.
• The practice staff felt valued, involved and worked as a team.
• The practice took into account any comments, concerns or complaints and used these to help them improve.

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

• Implementation of a paper records storage system that meets health and safety and fire regulations in accordance with the Department of Health’s code of practice for records management (NHS Code of Practice 2006) and other relevant guidance about information security and governance.
• Implementation of a more comprehensive business continuity plan and make it available to all staff.
• Carry out a full legionella risk assessment and implement the recommendations of the report to control Legionella bacteria in the water systems.