Cabourne Dental Practice

Updated 21 March 2016

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the practice was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

The inspection took place on 3 February 2016 and was conducted by a CQC inspector and a specialist dental advisor.

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 therefore formed the framework for the areas we looked at during the inspection.

Prior to the inspection we asked the practice to send us some information which we reviewed. This included the complaints they had received in the last 12 months, their latest statement of purpose, and the details of their staff members, their qualifications and proof of registration with their professional bodies.

We also reviewed the information we held about the practice and found there were no areas of concern.

During the inspection we spoke with a number of staff working on the day. We reviewed policies, procedures and other documents. We viewed 47 Care Quality Commission (CQC) comment cards that had been completed by patients, about the services provided at the practice.

Updated 21 March 2016

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 3 February 2016 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

Cabourne Dental Practice opened in 1993 in a purpose built practice alongside other health services such as two GP practices, a physiotherapist and a pharmacy. The practice is a now a private practice and has approximately 1800 registered patients. The practice has a small reception area that is in the waiting room. The practice consists of three treatment rooms (two in use, the third is used as a room to discuss treatment or for any other confidential conversations), a decontamination room and an office which is also the staff room. There is free parking available in a large car park that is shared with the other buildings. The building is accessed from the car park and once in the practice all areas are accessible to people who use wheelchairs.

There is one dentist that works full time alongside two full time dental nurses, one part time dental nurse and the practice manager. The dental nurses have dual roles and also work on reception.

The practice provides private dental treatment to adults and to children. The practice is open Monday to Thursday from 8am to 4pm.

The owner and provider 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.

We received feedback from 47 patients about the services provided. The feedback reflected positive comments about the staff and the services provided. Patients commented that the practice was clean and tidy and had a welcoming atmosphere. They said that they found the staff offered a friendly, professional and efficient service and were polite, helpful and caring. Patients said that explanations about their treatment were clear and that they were always informed of what was happening which made the dental experience as comfortable as possible. Patients who were nervous commented how the dentist was understanding and patient; they were made to feel at ease and that any questions were answered.

Our key findings were:

• There were sufficient numbers of suitably qualified staff to meet the needs of patients.
• Infection control procedures were in place and staff had access to personal protective equipment.
• Patients’ care and treatment was planned and delivered in line with evidence based guidelines and current legislation.
• Patients received clear explanations about their proposed treatment, costs, benefits and risks.
• Patients were treated with dignity and respect and confidentiality was maintained.
• The appointment system met the needs of patients and waiting times were kept to a minimum where possible.
• The practice was well-led and staff felt involved and worked as a team.
• Staff had been trained to deal with medical emergencies and appropriate medicines and life-saving equipment were readily available and accessible
• Governance systems were effective and policies and procedures were in place to provide and manage the service.
• Staff had received formal safeguarding training and knew the processes to follow to raise any concerns.
• All staff were clear of their roles and responsibilities with a structured chart to refer to.
• The practice had a whistleblowing policy in place which gave staff the option of contacting a neighbouring practice manager if they had any concerns that they wished to discuss.

There were areas where the provider could make improvements and should:

• Review published guidance (HTM 01-05) in relation to hand washing.
• Review the British National Formulary (BNF) guidance for medical emergencies in dental practice and the recommended equipment.
• Review Public Health England document: ‘Delivering better oral health: an evidence based toolkit for prevention’.