Sandy Lane Dental Practice

We carried out this announced inspection on 28 February 2020 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 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

Sandy Lane Dental Practice is in a residential suburb of Skelmersdale. The practice provides NHS and private dental care for adults and children.

There is level access to the practice for people who use wheelchairs and for people with pushchairs.

Car parking, including dedicated parking for people with disabilities, is available outside the practice.

The dental team includes two principal dentists, four associate dentists, one Foundation dentist, a dental hygiene therapist, seven dental nurses, two trainee dental nurses, and two receptionists. The dental team is supported by a practice manager who is also a qualified dental nurse. The practice has six 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 Sandy Lane Dental Practice is one of the principal dentists.

We received feedback from 62 people during the inspection about the services provided. The feedback provided was positive.

During the inspection we spoke to four dentists, dental nurses, receptionists and the practice manager. We looked at practice policies and procedures and other records about how the service is managed.

The practice is open:

Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday 9.00am to 5.00pm

Tuesday 9.00am to 7.45pm.

Our key findings were:

• The practice was visibly clean and well maintained.
• The provider had infection control procedures in place.
• The provider had safeguarding procedures in place and staff knew their responsibilities for safeguarding adults and children.
• Staff knew how to deal with medical emergencies. Appropriate medicines and equipment were available.
• The provider had staff recruitment procedures in place. These reflected the current legal requirements. Disclosure and Barring Service checks were not always carried out prior to staff starting work at the practice.
• Staff provided patients’ care and treatment in line with current guidelines.
• The dental team provided preventive care and supported patients to achieve better oral health.
• Training and staff development was a high priority for the provider. Staff were knowledgeable, experienced and had appropriate skills for their roles. Staff trained together as a team and individually, and supported each other at all levels.
• Staff treated patients with dignity and respect and took care to protect their privacy and personal information.
• The appointment system took account of patients’ needs.
• The provider had a procedure in place for handling complaints. The practice dealt with complaints positively and efficiently.
• The practice had strong leadership and management and a culture of learning and continuous improvement.
• The provider had systems in place to manage risk. The management of risk relating to Legionella was insufficient. The provider acted to address this.
• Staff felt valued and supported and worked as a team.
• The provider had systems to support the management and delivery of the service, to support governance and to guide staff.
• The practice asked patients and staff for feedback about the services they provided.

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

• Implement an effective recruitment procedure to ensure that appropriate checks are completed prior to new staff commencing employment at the practice, in particular, Disclosure and Barring Service checks.
• Review the practice's systems for monitoring and mitigating the various risks arising from the undertaking of the regulated activities, in particular those with shared responsibility, and contribute to ensuring improved co-ordination between the owner of the premises and all tenants.