Dental Design Studio Lowestoft

We carried out this announced inspection on 3 July 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

The Dental Design Studio is a well-established practice based in the town centre of Lowestoft. It provides mostly NHS general dentistry services to about 14,000 patients. There are eight surgeries. The practice is one of 13 owned and managed by the partnership.

The dental team consists of five dentists, five reception staff, a practice manager and eight dental nurses. A dental hygienist works one day a week.

The practice opens seven days a week from 8am to 8pm Monday to Friday; from 9am to 6pm on Saturdays and from 9am to 5pm on Sundays.

The practice is owned by a partnership 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 was the clinical director.

On the day of inspection, we collected six CQC comment cards filled in by patients. We spoke with three dentists, three dental nurses, and the practice manager. We also spoke with the registered and regional managers who were on site during our visit. We looked at practice policies and procedures and other records about how the service is managed.

Our key findings were:

• The practice had effective systems to help ensure patient safety. These included safeguarding children and adults from abuse, maintaining the required standards of infection prevention and control, and responding to medical emergencies.

• The practice offered extensive opening hours to patients.

• Patients received their care and treatment from well supported staff, who enjoyed their work.

• Patients’ needs were assessed, and care was planned and delivered in line with current best practice guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and other published guidance.

• Members of the dental team were up-to-date with their continuing professional development and were supported to meet the requirements of their professional registration.

• The practice had strong, effective leadership and a culture of continuous audit and improvement.

• The practice asked staff and patients for feedback about the services they provided. Staff felt involved and supported and worked well as a team.

• Staff were knowledgeable, experienced and clearly committed to providing a good service to patients.