Archived: Frinton Dental Care Also known as Southern Dental

Updated 28 January 2016

This announced inspection was carried out on 10 September 2015 by an inspector from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and a specialist dental advisor.

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.

Prior to the inspection we reviewed information we held about the provider. This included information from NHS England and notifications which we had received.

During the inspection we viewed the premises, spoke with three dentists, three dental nurses and the practice manager. To assess the quality of care provided we looked at practice policies and protocols and other records relating to the management of the service.

We also reviewed information we asked the provider to send us in advance of the inspection. This included their latest statement of purpose describing their values and objectives and a record of any complaints received in the last 12 months.

We obtained the views of 27 patients who had completed CQC comment cards and we spoke with three patients who used the service on the day of our inspection.

Updated 28 January 2016

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 10 September 2015 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.

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 10 September 2015 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

Frinton Dental Care offers NHS and private dental care services to patients of all ages. The services provided include preventative advice and treatment and restorative treatment options.The practice has waiting areas and treatment rooms on the first floor and is accessed by stairs or chair lift. There are plans to move to a ground floor location in the near future.

The practice has three dentists; they are supported by two dental hygienists, dental nurses, receptionists and a practice manager. The principal dentist is the registered manager. A registered manager is a person who is registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. 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:

• There were effective systems in place to reduce the risk and spread of infection.
• There were systems in place to check all equipment had been serviced regularly.
• Staff had received safeguarding and whistleblowing training and knew the processes to follow to raise any concerns.
• Patients’ care and treatment was planned and delivered in line with evidence based guidelines, best practice and current legislation.
• The practice ensured staff maintained the necessary skills and competence to support the needs of patients.
• There were sufficient numbers of suitably qualified staff to meet the needs of patients.
• Staff had been trained to handle emergencies and appropriate medicines and life-saving equipment were readily available.
• 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 confidentiality was maintained.
• The appointment system met the needs of patients and waiting times were kept to a minimum.
• There was an effective complaints system and the practice was open and transparent with patients if a mistake had been made.
• The practice was well-led and staff felt involved and worked as a team. The practice recorded and analysed significant events and complaints and cascaded learning to staff.
• Where mistakes had been made patients were notified about the outcome of any investigation and given a suitable apology.
• Governance systems were effective and there was a range of clinical and non-clinical audits to monitor the quality of services.
• The practice sought feedback from staff and patients about the services they provided.

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

Review the recommended actions from the fire risk assessment undertaken in September 2014 to ensure patient can be safely evacuated from the premises.