The Care Quality Commission
  • Dentist
  • Dentist

Archived: IDH Wellington High Street

63 High Street, Wellington, Somerset, TA21 8QY (01823) 662083

Provided and run by:
IDH Limited

All Inspections

14 March 2017

During a routine inspection

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 14 March 2017 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

IDH Wellington High Street is located in the town of Wellington, Somerset. The practice provides primary dental care services. The practice provides NHS dentistry services and a small amount of private patient care. There are three dental surgeries, with two currently in use due to a dentist vacancy. All surgeries are located on the first floor, accessed by stairs. Approximately 5,700 patients are on the patient list at the practice, which provides dental care to both adults and children.

The staff structure of the practice consists of one full-time dentist, a dental hygienist on one day a week, two trainee dental nurses, a practice manager (who is a qualified dental nurse), three receptionists and a cleaner.

The practice is open on Monday to Friday from 8.30am – 5pm. There is an answer phone message directing patients to emergency contact numbers when the practice is closed.

The practice manager 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 a CQC inspector, who had remote access to a dental specialist advisor if required.

Forty eight patients provided feedback directly to CQC about the service. All 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 was a lead staff member 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 comments, 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 and appropriate medicines and life-saving equipment was readily available in accordance with current guidelines.
  • The practice appeared clean and well maintained.
  • Staff reported incidents and kept records of these which the practice used for shared learning.
  • The service was aware of the needs of the local population and took these 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 with felt supported by the management team and were committed to providing a quality service to their patients.

During a check to make sure that the improvements required had been made

We contacted the provider asking them to send us evidence to assure us people's records were now accurate, fit for purpose and held securely to ensure confidentiality. The provider sent us this information and we discussed the information we received with the practice manager. The provider had taken our previous findings of non-compliance with the completion and storage of records at the practice seriously. We were satisfied they had acted in both a robust and timely way and had ensured action was taken to make the necessary improvements

6 February 2013

During a routine inspection

This was the practice's first inspection since dental services were required to register with the Care Quality Commission. The practice had both adults and children registered. We visited the practice on one day, during the practice's normal opening hours.

We checked and were assured that people using the dental practice had access to examinations in private. We met and spoke with five staff and checked records. We inspected the premises and were satisfied that people received treatment in a clean environment. We found people were consulted about advised treatments and that on-going dental care was monitored via discussion between the person and their dentist during their appointments. However, people were not protected from the risks of unsafe or inappropriate care and treatment because of inconsistencies within dental treatment records. People were also at risk of their confidentiality being compromised as not all records were stored securely.

Following our inspection we contacted, with their permission, people who had recently attended the practice. We asked people about their experiences including the approachability of staff, information given to them about their treatment and the cleanliness of the building. We received four responses to questionnaires we sent to ten people via email. Although some people expressed mild criticism about some aspects of communication at the practice, overall people were satisfied with the treatment they had received.