Archived: Budleigh Salterton Dental Practice & Implant Centre

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 13 December 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

Budleigh Salterton Dental Practice & Implant Centre is located in the coastal town of Budleigh Salterton, Devon. The practice provides primary dental care services for people who require dental procedures. The practice provides NHS and private patient care. There are three dental surgeries all situated on the ground floor. There is stepped access from the street and a stair lift from street level for people with limited mobility. Approximately 2,785 patients are registered at the practice. The majority of patients are adults.

The staff structure of the practice consists of three dentists (one principle and two associate dentists) and two dental hygienists. There is a practice manager, three dental nurses, one trainee dental nurse and two reception staff.

The practice is open from Monday to Thursday from 9.00am to 5.30pm and from 9.00am to 4.00pm on Fridays. There is an answer phone message directing patients to emergency contact numbers when the practice is closed.

The principle dentist is 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 took place over one day and was carried out by two CQC inspectors.

Twenty three patients provided feedback directly to CQC about the service (fifteen comment cards and eight interviews with patients). All patients replied that they were positive about the care they received from the practice. They were complimentary about the friendly, professional and caring attitude of the dental staff and the dental treatment they had received.

Our key findings were:

• Patients’ needs were assessed and care was planned in line with current guidance such as from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).
• There were effective systems in place to reduce and minimise the risk and spread of infection.
• There were lead senior staff members for safeguarding patients. All staff understood their responsibilities for safeguarding adults and children living in vulnerable circumstances.
• Equipment, such as the air compressor, autoclave (steriliser), fire extinguishers, and X-ray equipment had all been checked for effectiveness and had been regularly serviced.
• Patients indicated that they felt they were listened to and that they received good care from the practice team.
• The practice had implemented clear procedures for managing concerns or complaints.
• Patients could access treatment and urgent and emergency care when required.
• Patients could book appointments up to 12 months in advance.
• Appointment text/phone reminders were available on request 48 hours prior to appointments.
• The provider had a clear vision for the practice and staff told us they were well supported by the management team.
• Staff had been trained to handle emergencies.
• The practice appeared clean and well maintained.
• The service was aware of the needs of the local population and was developing ways to take these needs into account in how the practice was run.
• Staff received training appropriate to their roles and were supported in their continued professional development by the management team.
• Staff we spoke to felt supported by the management team and were committed to providing a quality service to their patients.

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

• Review the practice's recruitment policy and procedures to ensure background checks for staff are consistently received prior to staff employment.
• Review storage of cleaning materials in the practice.
• Reassess the availability of first aid equipment at the practice.
• Improve staff training record keeping.
• Develop strategies for formalising the capture and response to patient feedback.
• Review the arrangements for the cold storage of medicines at the practice.