Updated 31 March 2023
We undertook a follow up focused inspection of Darwen Dental Care on 22 March 2023. This inspection was carried out to review the actions taken by the registered provider to improve the quality of care and to confirm that the practice was now meeting legal requirements.
The inspection was led by a CQC inspector who was supported by a specialist dental advisor.
We had previously undertaken a comprehensive inspection of Darwen Dental Care on 19 October 2022 under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. We found the registered provider was not providing well-led care and was in breach of regulation 17 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014.
You can read our report of that inspection by selecting the 'all reports' link for Darwen Dental Care on our website www.cqc.org.uk.
When 1 or more of the 5 questions are not met, we require the service to make improvements and send us an action plan. We then inspect again after a reasonable interval, focusing on the area where improvement was required.
As part of this inspection, we asked:
- Is it well-led?
Our findings were:
Are services well-led?
We found this practice was providing well-led care in accordance with the relevant regulations.
The provider had made improvements in relation to the regulatory breaches we found at our inspection on 19 October 2022.
Background
Darwen Dental Care is in Darwen, Lancashire and provides NHS dental care for children and private treatment for adults and children.
There is a small step to access the practice; there is a ground floor treatment room for people who use some types of mobility aid but is not wheelchair accessible due to the limited width of the passageway leading to this room. Car parking spaces, including dedicated parking for disabled people, are available near the practice in free to use car parks. The practice has made some adjustments to support patients with additional needs, for example, by provision of a handrail to aid those with walking difficulties.
The dental team includes the principal dentist and 2 dental nurses, 1 of whom was a trainee. The practice has 2 treatment rooms.
During the inspection we spoke with the principal dentist and lead dental nurse. We looked at practice policies, procedures and other records to assess how the service is managed.
The practice is open: Monday to Thursday from 9am to 1pm, 2pm to 5.30pm and on Friday from 9am to 1pm.