Dunedin Dental

We carried out this announced inspection on 18 June 2019 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

Dunedin Dental is a well-established practice based in Bradwell that offers private treatment to approximately 1300 patients. The practice has three dental surgeries, only two of which were operational at the time of our inspection.

The dental team includes three dentists and five dental nurses, one of whom works mostly on reception. There is level access for people who use wheelchairs and those with pushchairs. The practice does not have its own parking facilities, but there is on street parking nearby.

The practice opens from 8 am to 4.30 pm Monday to Wednesdays, on Thursdays from 8 am to 8 pm and on Fridays from 8 am to 3 pm.

The practice is owned by a company 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 Dunedin Dental is one of the dentists.

On the day of inspection, we collected 18 CQC comment cards filled in by patients. We spoke with three dentists, two dental nurses and the receptionist. We looked at practice policies and procedures and other records about how the service is managed.

Our key findings were:

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• Staff knew how to deal with emergencies and appropriate medicines and life-saving equipment were available.
• The practice had suitable safeguarding processes and staff knew their responsibilities for safeguarding vulnerable adults and children.
• 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.
• Patients received their care and treatment from well supported staff, who enjoyed their work.
• Members of the dental team were up-to-date with their continuing professional development and were supported to meet the requirements of their professional registration.
• Staff treated patients with dignity and respect and took care to protect their privacy and personal information.
• The practice took patients’ complaints seriously and responded to them appropriately to improve the quality of care.
• The practice had effective leadership and a culture of continuous audit and improvement.