Updated 3 April 2020
We carried out this announced inspection on 20 February 2020 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 Care Quality Commission, (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 this practice was providing safe care in accordance with the relevant regulations.
Are services effective?
We found this practice was providing effective care in accordance with the relevant regulations.
Are services caring?
We found this practice was providing caring services in accordance with the relevant regulations.
Are services responsive?
We found this practice was providing responsive care in accordance with the relevant regulations.
Are services well-led?
We found this practice was providing well-led care in accordance with the relevant regulations.
Background
Denuvo Dental is in Harwood, Lancashire and provides private dental care and treatment for adults and children.
There is ramp access to the practice for people who use wheelchairs and those with pushchairs. There is time limited parking available, including dedicated spaces for people with disabilities, at the supermarket opposite the premises. There is additional on-street parking near the practice.
The dental team includes two dentists, three dental nurses who also have reception duties and a dental hygiene therapist. The practice has two treatment rooms.
The practice is owned by a partnership and as a condition of registration must have a person registered with the CQC 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 Denuvo Dental is one of the partners.
On the day of inspection, we collected 24 CQC comment cards filled in by patients. These provided a positive view of the dental team and care provided by the practice. Five patients also provided feedback directly to the CQC.
During the inspection we spoke with both dentists, the dental nurses and the dental hygiene therapist. We looked at practice policies and procedures and other records about how the service is managed.
The practice is open:
Monday 9:00am - 5:30pm
Tuesday 9:30am - 7:00pm
Wednesday 9:00am - 5:00pm
Thursday 9:00am - 7:00pm
Friday 9:00am - 5:30pm
Saturday (once a month) 9:00am - 1:00pm
Our key findings were:
- The practice appeared to be visibly clean, tidy 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 provider had systems to help them identify and manage risk to patients and staff.
- The provider had safeguarding processes and staff knew their responsibilities for safeguarding vulnerable adults and children.
- The provider had staff recruitment procedures which reflected current legislation.
- 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 provided preventive care and supported patients to ensure better oral health.
- The appointment system took account of patients’ needs.
- The provider had effective leadership and a culture of continuous quality improvement.
- Staff felt involved and supported and worked as a team. Members of staff were encouraged to contribute innovative ideas.
- The provider asked staff and patients for feedback about the services they provided.
- The provider dealt with complaints positively and efficiently.
- The provider had information governance arrangements.
We identified areas of notable practice.
The practice had signed up to the ‘Dignity in Care’ campaign led by the National Dignity Council. The campaign inspires people to be part of a nationwide movement of champions, working individually and collectively to promote access to dignity as a human right for all.
Dignity resources had been created by staff to ensure vulnerable patients were involved in discussions and decisions about their care:
- A step by step ‘Going to the Dentist’ information sheet had been created using easy read symbols widely used in special needs education. They described how they would spend time with patients talking through the guide and individual symbols at a pace that ensured the patient’s understanding.
- A dignity and respect form had been developed to enable staff to spend time assessing the understanding and preferences of patients with Dementia at every appointment.
- Staff took account of patient needs and preferences. For example, where patients were non-binary or identified with a gender different from their assigned sex. They were respectful of how patients wished to be addressed, such as their preferred pronouns.
There were areas where the provider could make improvements. They should:
- Take action to ensure that all clinical staff have adequate immunity for vaccine preventable infectious diseases.