The Care Quality Commission
  • Dentist
  • Dentist

Archived: SDC Harrison - Dental Surgery

2 Belle Vue Crescent, Tyne Dock, South Shields, Tyne and Wear, NE33 4RD (0191) 455 4732

Provided and run by:
Mr. Stephen Harrison

All Inspections

9 December 2015

During a routine inspection

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection of this service on 10 June 2015 as part of our regulatory functions where a breach of legal requirements was found. After the comprehensive inspection, the surgery wrote to us to say what they would do to meet the legal requirements in relation to the breach.

We followed up on our inspection of 10 June 2015 to check that the surgery had implemented their plan and to confirm that they now met the legal requirements. We carried out a desk based review on 9 December 2015 to check whether the practice had taken action to address a breach of Regulation 12(2)(h) of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014.

This report only covers our findings in relation to those requirements. We have not revisited SDC Harrison - Dental Surgery of this review because SDC Harrison - Dental Surgery were able to demonstrate that they were meeting the standards without the need for a visit.

Our findings were:

Are services safe?

We found that this practice was providing safe care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the 'all reports' link for SDC Harrison - Dental Surgery on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

10 June 2015

During a routine inspection

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 10 June 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.

The practice is a small family run service. There is one dentist and three dental nurses, two of whom also undertake receptionist duties.

The practice provides primary care dental services under the NHS to approximately 3,000 patients.

The practice is open Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday 9am to 5pm and Thursday 9am to 1pm. The practice is also open on Saturday mornings from 9am to 12.30pm for patients who work and are unable to access the service during the week.

The dentist is the registered provider for the practice. 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.

Three patients provided feedback about the service. All the comments were positive about the staff and the services provided. Patients commented that the practice was clean, they found staff friendly and the treatment was excellent.

Our key findings were:

  • The practice recorded complaints and cascaded learning to staff.
  • Staff had received safeguarding training, knew how to recognise signs of abuse and how to report it.
  • There were sufficient numbers of suitably qualified staff to meet the needs of patients.
  • Staff had been trained to manage medical emergencies.
  • Infection control procedures were in place in accordance with the published guidelines.
  • Patient care and treatment was planned and delivered in line with evidence based guidelines, best practice and current regulations.
  • 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 patients’ needs.
  • There was an effective complaints system.
  • The practice was well-led and staff felt involved and supported and worked well as a team.
  • The governance systems were effective.
  • The practice sought feedback from staff and patients about the services they provided.

We identified regulations that were not being met and the provider must:

  • Ensure that legionella assessments and tests are reviewed in accordance with their recommendations.
  • Ensure that the water temperature is monitored regularly in accordance with guidance issued following legionella assessments and tests.

You can see full details of the regulations not being met at the end of this report.

20 February 2012

During a routine inspection

The dentist told us that he always explained the treatment patients needed, and talked to them about the options available to them and how much it would

cost. Each patient was given a copy of their treatment plan and the cost of their treatment.

The dentist said that all patients received personalised care, treatment and support through very careful coordinated assessment that reflected their needs, preferences and diversity. He told us that people travel from outside the area for their treatment for example, Doncaster and Cumbria.

The dentist said the practice ensured that national and local guidance about safeguarding people was made accessible to all staff. He said he and a practice nurse had been trained in all aspects of the safeguarding processes for both children and vulnerable adults.

The dentist explained the practice procedures on the decontamination processes. He described how the practice adhered of the code of practice on the prevention and control of infections and related local guidance.

The dentist said that there were detailed policies and procedures in place for the safe use of emergency medication. He said that all staff were aware of these and that they had been trained to use emergency dental equipment. He explained all patients were asked about their medical history and any known allergies, including previous reactions to local anaesthetics and antibiotics.

The dentist told us there were very robust procedures and measures in place at the practice to ensure all equipment was maintained to a good standard to keep people safe.

The dentist told us how the practice supported staff through training, peer group support and informal appraisals to make sure they were working to the best clinical guidelines for their professions.

The dentist explained the systems that the practice had in place to check quality and to manage risk. He said that it was important to gather information about the safety and the quality of the service by carrying out regular audits. He also said feedback from patient surveys helped the practice to maintain high standards and implement changes where needed.