Updated 23 January 2019
We undertook a focused inspection of Crescent Dental Care on 20 December 2018.
This inspection was carried out to review in detail 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 remotely by a specialist dental adviser.
We undertook a comprehensive inspection of Crescent Dental Care on 28 August 2018 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 Crescent Dental Care on our website www.cqc.org.uk.
As part of this inspection we asked:
• Is the practice well-led?
When one or more of the five 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.
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 breach we found at our inspection on 28 August 2018.
Background
Crescent Dental Care is in Dunston, Tyne and Wear and provides NHS and private treatment to adults and children.
There is step-free access to the practice and on-street car parking is available nearby. The dental practice is combined with a wellness centre providing chiropody, physiotherapy and holistic care.
The dental team includes the principal dentist, two associate dentists, four dental nurses (two of whom are trainees), two dental hygiene therapists and a practice manager. The dental nurses also carry out reception duties. The practice has three treatment rooms all situated on the ground floor.
The practice is owned by a company 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 at Crescent Dental Care is the principal dentist.
We looked at practice policies and procedures and other records about how the service is managed.
The practice is open:
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday 8.30am to 6.30pm.
Friday 8.30am to 4.30pm
Saturday 9am to 12.30pm.
Our key findings were:
- The practice had improved their systems to help them manage risk.
- The practice had effective leadership.
- A culture of continuous improvement was evident.
- Staff knew how to deal with emergencies and appropriate medicines and life-saving equipment were available.
- The provider undertook risk assessments for lone working staff and for staff whose immune status to the Hepatitis B vaccine was unknown.
- Safety alerts were received for medical drugs and equipment.
- The provider undertook thorough staff recruitment procedures for all staff employed.
- Clinical staff provided patients’ care and treatment in line with current guidelines
- The practice had closed-circuit television on the premises; a policy and data protection impact assessment had been created.
- The provider had carried out a disability access assessment of the premises and they had met the needs of those who had hearing or sight problems.
- Staff were using translation services when required.
- Staff training was monitored; this process was reviewed to be more effective.