Archived: High Street Dental Care

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 22 November 2016 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

High Street Dental Practice is situated in Mosborough, Sheffield. The practice offers NHS and private dental treatments. There are four treatment rooms, a decontamination room, a reception/office, a waiting area with children’s play zone, staff facilities and a patient toilet.

There are three full time dentists, a part time dental hygiene therapist, a practice manager, one full time dental nurse, three part time dental nurses, two part time receptionists and one full time dental nurse/receptionist.

The practice is open between 8:45am and 6:00pm Monday to Friday; opening hours vary throughout the week.

The principal dentist is registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) as an individual registered person. 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

On the day of inspection we received 60 CQC comment cards providing feedback. Patients who provided feedback were very positive about the care and attention to treatment they received at the practice. Comments included that patients felt they were involved in all aspects of their care and found the staff to be very pleasant and helpful, the practice had a happy environment; staff were friendly and communicated well. Patients commented they could access emergency care easily and they were treated with dignity and respect in a clean and tidy environment.

Our key findings were:

• The practice had systems in place to assess and manage risks to patients and staff including infection prevention and control, health and safety and the management of medical emergencies.
• The practice was visibly clean and uncluttered.
• Staff had received safeguarding training, knew how to recognise signs of abuse and how to report it. They had systems in place to work closely and share information with the local safeguarding team.
• There were sufficient numbers of suitably qualified staff to meet the needs of patients.
• Infection control procedures were in accordance with the published guidelines.
• Oral health advice and treatment were provided in line with the ‘Delivering Better Oral Health’ toolkit (DBOH).
• Treatment was well planned and provided in line with current best practice guidelines.
• 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.
• The practice was well-led and staff felt involved and supported and worked well as a team.
• The governance systems were effective and embedded.
• The practice sought feedback from staff and patients about the services they provided.
• There were clearly defined leadership roles within the practice.

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

• Review the practice’s risk assessment and policy for all staff that may involve lone working.
• Review the Guidance Notes for Dental Practitioners on the Safe Use of X-ray Equipment and ensure that local rules are specific to each machine in the treatment rooms.
• Review the practice’s process of logging checks on the ultrasonic bath in accordance with Health Technical Memorandum 01-05, ensuring that the water temperature does not exceed 45°C.
• Review the process for dispatching work to the dental laboratory.