B M Pearson - Tiverton Dental Centre

Updated 15 April 2016

We carried out an unannounced, comprehensive inspection on 12 February 2016. The inspection was carried out by a lead inspector and a dental specialist adviser.

We informed NHS England area team that we were inspecting the practice.

During our inspection visit, we reviewed policy documents and staff records. We spoke with six members of staff. We conducted a tour of the practice and looked at the storage arrangements for emergency medicines and equipment. We were shown the decontamination procedures for dental instruments and the computer system that supported patient dental care records. We obtained the views of 14 patients on the day of our inspection.

Patients gave positive feedback about their experience at the practice.

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.

Updated 15 April 2016

We carried out an unannounced comprehensive inspection on 12 February 2016 due to information of concern being shared with the Care Quality Commission.

We asked 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 regulation.

Background

Tiverton Dental Centre is a dental practice providing mainly NHS and some private treatment for both adults and children.

The practice is situated in Tiverton town centre. The practice has three dental treatment rooms based over two floors and a separate decontamination room used for cleaning, sterilising and packing dental instruments. The practice had one treatment room on the ground floor enabling level access for patients who had mobility problems.

The practice employs six dentists, one hygienist, two dental nurses, four trainee dental nurses of whom two are enrolled on recognised training courses and two are on induction and a practice manager. The practice’s opening hours are 8am to 1pm and 2pm to 6pm Monday to Thursday and 8.30am to 1pm and 2pm to 5pm on Friday. There are arrangements in place to ensure patients receive urgent medical assistance when the practice is closed. This is provided by an out-of-hours service.

There was no registered manager at the time of our inspection at this location. We were told that the current practice manager was going through the CQC registration process to become 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.

The inspection was carried out by a lead inspector and a dental specialist adviser.

Our key findings were:

• Staff had been trained to handle emergencies and appropriate medicines and life-saving equipment was readily available in accordance with current guidelines.

• The practice appeared clean and maintained although some areas of the practice were cluttered.

• Infection control procedures generally followed published guidance.

• The practice had a safeguarding lead with effective processes in place for safeguarding adults and children living in vulnerable circumstances.

• Staff reported incidents and kept records of these which the practice used for shared learning.

• Dentists provided dental care in accordance with current professional and National Institute for Care Excellence guidelines.

• The service was aware of the needs of the local population and took these into account in how the practice was run.

• Patients could access treatment and urgent and emergency care when required.

• Staff recruitment files contained essential information in relation to Regulation 18, Schedule 3 of Health & Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2015.

• Staff received training appropriate to their roles and were supported in their continued professional development by the practice manager.

• Staff we spoke to felt supported by the practice manager and were committed to providing a quality service to their patients

• Information from 14 patients gave us a positive picture of a friendly and professional service.

• The practice manager, although recently appointed to this position, provided effective leadership for staff working at the practice.

• The practice reviewed and dealt with complaints according to their practice policy.

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

• Ensure that risks in relation to fire safety are fully identified and mitigated.

• Review infection control protocols to ensure that the packaging of processed instruments follow published guidelines.

• Ensure that a new Legionella risk assessment is carried out.

• Declutter treatment rooms and storage areas of the practice.