Kimbolton Dental Practice

Updated 28 January 2016

The inspection took place on 15 December 2015 and was carried out by a CQC inspector and a dental specialist 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 asked the practice to send us some information which we reviewed. This included the complaints they had received in the last 12 months, their latest statement of purpose, the details of their staff members, their qualifications and proof of registration with their professional bodies.

  We also reviewed the information we held about the practice and consulted with other stakeholders, such as NHS England area team and Healthwatch; however we did not receive any information of concern from them.

  During the inspection we spoke with the dentist and two dental nurses. We reviewed policies, procedures and other documents. We spoke with six patients and reviewed 14 CQC comment cards which had been completed by patients prior to the inspection.

Updated 28 January 2016

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 15 December 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

Kimbolton dental studio is a small practice located in Kimbolton, Cambridgeshire and has one full time dentist and two dental nurses. The practice provides primary dental services to private patients and opens on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays between 8:30am and 5pm and on one Saturday a month for patients that cannot access the services during the week.

We spoke with six patients and reviewed 14 CQC comment cards which had been completed by patients prior to the inspection. All the comments reflected positively on the staff and the services provided. Patients commented that the practice was clean and hygienic, they found it easy to book an appointment and they found the quality of the dentistry to be good. They said explanations were clear and that the staff were kind, caring and reassuring.

Our key findings were:

• The practice recorded and analysed significant events and complaints and cascaded learning to staff.
• Where mistakes had been made there was a policy that patients were notified about the outcome of any investigation and given a suitable apology.
• Staff had received safeguarding and whistleblowing training and knew the processes to follow to raise any concerns.
• There were sufficient numbers of suitably qualified staff to meet the needs of patients.
• Staff had been trained to handle emergencies; appropriate medicines and life-saving equipment were readily available.
• Infection control procedures were robust and the practice followed published guidance on the majority of occasions, however, there were minor areas for improvement.
• Patient care and treatment was planned and delivered in line with evidence based guidelines, best practice and current legislation.
• 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.
• Medical questionnaires were completed by patients prior to treatment being conducted and repeated every six months.