Mydentist - Howard Street - Bedford Also known as mydentist

We carried out this announced inspection on 28 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

Mydentist – Howard Street is in Bedford and provides NHS and private treatment to adults and children. The practice offers general dentistry and implants.

There is level access for people who use wheelchairs and those with pushchairs with use of a portable ramp. There are no car parking facilities on site. Parking is available within short distance of the practice in a public car park. This includes spaces for blue badge holders.

The dental team includes five dentists, two dental nurses, two trainee nurses, one dental hygienist, one receptionist and an interim acting practice manager. The practice has three treatment rooms.

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 Mydentist-Howard Street-Bedford was the practice manager who has recently left working for the practice. The provider has arranged suitable interim arrangements for cover until a permanent manager is recruited.

On the day of inspection, we collected 10 CQC comment cards filled in by patients.

During the inspection we spoke with two dentists, two dental nurses, the receptionist, the area development manager, a practice manager from another Mydentist site, an interim acting practice manager and a regulatory officer.

We looked at practice policies and procedures, patient feedback and other records about how the service is managed.

The practice is open: Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 8.30am to 5pm and on Tuesday from 8.30am to 6pm.

Our key findings were:

• The practice appeared clean and well maintained.
• The provider had infection control procedures which reflected published guidance.
• Staff knew how to deal with emergencies. Appropriate medicines and life-saving equipment were available.
• The practice had systems to help them manage risk to patients and staff.
• It was not evident that staff learning took place when accidents or incidents were reported and investigated.
• The provider had suitable safeguarding processes and staff knew their responsibilities for safeguarding vulnerable adults and children.
• The provider had staff recruitment procedures, although we found that references were not held in files for some of the team.
• The clinical staff provided patients’ care and treatment in line with current guidelines.
• Staff treated patients with dignity and respect and took care to protect their privacy and personal information.
• Staff were providing preventive care and supporting patients to ensure better oral health.
• The appointment system took account of patients’ needs.
• The provider had effective leadership and culture of continuous improvement.
• Staff felt involved and supported and worked well as a team.
• The provider asked staff and patients for feedback about the services they provided.
• The provider had processes for dealing with complaints, but some improvements were required in management and oversight.
• The provider had information governance arrangements. Not all staff training records were available for our review.

There were areas where the provider could make improvements. They should:

• Review the practice's recruitment procedures to ensure that appropriate checks are completed prior to new staff commencing employment at the practice.
• Review the practice’s system for recording, investigating and reviewing incidents or significant events with a view to preventing further occurrences and ensuring that improvements are made as a result.
• Review the practice's complaint handling procedures and establish an accessible system for identifying, receiving, recording, handling and responding to complaints by service users.