Updated 14 February 2020
We carried out this announced inspection on 14 January 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 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
Potton Dental Practice is in Potton, Bedfordshire and provides NHS and private treatment to adults and children.
The practice is located in a two storey cottage in the town centre. There is level access into the waiting area, and a ground floor treatment room is available for people who use wheelchairs and those with pushchairs. There are free car parking spaces available on the nearby market square and the roads surrounding the practice.
The dental team includes two dentists, a dental nurse and a trainee dental nurse. They are supported by two receptionists. The practice has one treatment room and a separate decontamination room.
The practice is owned by an individual who is the principal dentist there. 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, the provider alerted us to the fact no CQC comment cards had been received by the practice prior to the inspection. We asked the practice manager to put a sign in the reception area alerting patients to our presence and advising them that we would be happy to speak with anyone who would like to talk to us. We received feedback from six patients through the CQC website in the two weeks prior to our inspection.
During the inspection we spoke with two dentists, the trainee dental nurse and a receptionist. We looked at practice policies and procedures and other records about how the service is managed.
The practice is open:
Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm.
Our key findings were:
- The practice appeared clean and well maintained.
- The provider had infection control procedures which reflected published guidance.
- Staff knew how to deal with emergencies. Appropriate medicines and most pieces of life-saving equipment were available, however the emergency kit was missing certain pieces of equipment, such as a self inflating bag with a reservoir and a clear face mask. The practice took immediate action and ordered the missing pieces of equipment.
- The provider had systems to help them manage risk to patients and staff.
- The provider had suitable safeguarding processes and staff knew their responsibilities for safeguarding vulnerable adults and children. We noted that one of the dentists did not have up to date safeguarding children training. We discussed this with the provider and were given assurance that the training would be undertaken following the inspection.
- The provider 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.
- 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 culture of continuous improvement.
- Staff felt involved and supported and worked well as a team. Staff spoke openly about how much they enjoyed working at the practice.
- The provider asked staff and patients for feedback about the services they provided.
- The provider had suitable information governance arrangements.
There were areas where the provider could make improvements. They should:
- Implement an effective system for receiving and responding to patient safety alerts, recalls and rapid response reports issued by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, the Central Alerting System and other relevant bodies, such as Public Health England.
- Take action to ensure that all the staff have received training, to an appropriate level, in the safeguarding of children and vulnerable adults.