Archived: May House Dental Practice

We carried out this announced inspection on 24 January 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 and a second CQC inspector.

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

May House Dental Practice (Miss Janet Lewis) is in Torquay and provides NHS and private orthodontic treatment to adults and children.

There is level access for people who use wheelchairs and those with pushchairs, although the practice is not fully accessible. A small number of car parking space are available at the practice.

The staff team consists of two orthodontists. Dental nursing, reception and practice management staff are provided through a formal staff sharing agreement with another general dentistry provider registered at the same address. The orthodontists use one dedicated treatment room for orthodontist services in the practice.

The provider is the principal orthodontist, who rents a treatment room in an existing general dental practice. They have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated regulations about how the practice is run.

On the day of inspection we collected 93 CQC comment cards filled in by patients. This gave us a positive view of the practice.

During the inspection we spoke with the principal orthodontist (and registered provider) and the dental nurse assisting them. We looked at practice policies and procedures and other records about how the service is managed.

The practice is open: Monday to Friday 9am – 5:30pm.

Our key findings were:

• The practice appeared clean and well maintained.
• The practice staff had infection control procedures which reflected published guidance.
• Staff knew how to deal with emergencies. Appropriate medicines and life-saving equipment were available.
• The practice had systems to help them manage risk.
• The practice staff had suitable safeguarding processes and staff knew their responsibilities for safeguarding adults and children.
• The practice had thorough staff recruitment procedures.
• 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.
• The practice was providing preventive care and supporting patients to ensure better oral health.
• The appointment system met patients’ needs.
• The practice had effective leadership and culture of continuous improvement.
• Staff felt involved and supported and worked well as a team.
• The practice asked staff and patients for feedback about the services they provided.
• There had been no complaints received in the last 12 months.
• The practice staff had suitable information governance arrangements.