Maple House Dental Practice

We carried out this announced comprehensive inspection on 18 January 2024 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 practice was meeting the legal requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated regulations.

The inspection was led by a Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspector who was supported by a specialist dental advisor.

To get to the heart of patients’ experiences of care and treatment, we always ask the following 5 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:

• The dental clinic appeared clean and well-maintained.
• The practice had infection control procedures which reflected published guidance.
• Staff knew how to deal with medical emergencies. Appropriate medicines and life-saving equipment were available.
• The practice had systems to manage risks for patients, staff, equipment and the premises. Improvements were needed so that actions from risk assessments were completed in a timely way.
• Safeguarding processes were in place and staff knew their responsibilities for safeguarding vulnerable adults and children.
• The practice had staff recruitment procedures which reflected current legislation.
• Clinical staff provided patients’ care and treatment in line with current guidelines.
• Patients were treated with dignity and respect. Staff took care to protect patients’ privacy and personal information.
• Staff provided preventive care and supported patients to ensure better oral health.
• The appointment system worked efficiently to respond to patients’ needs.
• The frequency of appointments was agreed between the dentist and the patient, giving due regard to National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines.
• There was effective leadership and a culture of continuous improvement. Improvements were needed so that audits included analysis and action plans to drive improvements.
• Staff felt involved, supported and worked as a team.
• Staff and patients were asked for feedback about the services provided.
• Complaints were dealt with positively and efficiently.
• The practice had information governance arrangements.

Background

Maple House Dental Clinic is part of Perfect Smile, a group dental provider.

The practice is in Portsmouth, and provides NHS and private dental care treatment for adults and children.

Pay and display parking is available near the practice. The practice is not accessible to patients who use wheelchairs. Patients can be accommodated at one of the provider’s nearby locations.

The practice has made reasonable adjustments to support patients with non-mobility access requirements.

The dental team includes 5 dentists, 1 dental hygienist, 3 qualified dental nurses, and 3 trainee dental nurses. The clinical team are supported by 1 practice manager and 2 receptionists.

The practice has 5 treatment rooms.

During the inspection we spoke with 3 dentists, 1 dental nurse, the practice manager and 2 receptionists. We also spoke with the practice manager from another of the provider’s dental practices and the regional manager.

We looked at practice policies, procedures and other records to assess how the service is managed.

The practice is open between 9am and 5pm on Mondays to Thursdays and 9am to 3pm on Fridays.

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

• Improve the practice's systems for assessing, monitoring and mitigating the various risks arising from the undertaking of the regulated activities. In particular actions from risk assessments should be completed in a timely way.
• The practice should also ensure that, where appropriate, audits have documented learning points and the resulting improvements can be demonstrated.
• Improve the practice’s arrangements for ensuring good governance and leadership are sustained in the longer term.