Archived: Seabank Dental Practice

Updated 26 March 2015

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 and to pilot a new inspection process being introduced by the CQC.

An announced inspection was carried out on the 26 January 2015 by an inspector from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and a dental specialist advisor.

Prior to the inspection we reviewed information we held about the provider and by other organisations. We also reviewed information we asked the provider to send us in advance of the inspection. This included their latest statement of purpose describing their values and their objectives and a record of any complaints received in the last 12 months.

During the inspection we toured the premises and spoke with the principal dentist, two dental nurses, the practice manager, practice lead and reception staff. To assess the quality of care provided we looked at practice policies and protocols and other records relating to the management of the service.

We obtained views of 12 patients who had filled in CQC comment cards.

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.

Updated 26 March 2015

We carried out a comprehensive inspection of Seabank Dental Practice on 26 January 2015.

CQC inspected the practice in 2014 and asked the provider to make improvements regarding infection prevention and control and quality monitoring. We judged these had a moderate impact on patient care. We checked these areas as part of this comprehensive inspection and found these have been addressed.

At the time of the inspection Seabank Dental Practice provided private dental care to patients of all ages. The services provided include preventative advice and treatment and routine and restorative dental care. In 2014 the provider entered into an agreement with a corporate dental provider to support change and improvements in the practice. We spoke with the practice manager and practice lead from the corporate provider as part of this inspection.

The practice has one full time dentist and one part time dentist. Two further part-time dentists are scheduled to join the practice in the next few weeks. Two dental nurses, a dental nurse trainee and three part time dental hygienists are part of the practice team.

We reviewed 12 completed CQC comment cards. Patients we spoke with and those who completed comments cards were positive about the care they received from the practice. They commented staff were caring, helpful and respectful.

Our key findings were:

• The practice had systems in place to help ensure patient safety. These included maintaining infection prevention and control standards.

• Patients were given information and time to make informed decisions about their treatment. Staff ensured patients gave their consent before treatment began. Dental care records we looked at were detailed and showed on-going monitoring of patients’ oral health.

• Patients commented on CQC comment cards and in the latest annual survey they were treated with respect and dignity. We observed privacy and confidentiality were maintained for patients using the service on the day of the inspection.

• Patients were able to make routine and emergency appointments when needed. There were clear instructions for patients regarding out of hours care.
• The management structure in place at the time of the inspection provided clearly defined leadership roles and included a practice manager and practice lead employed by the corporate provider. These management roles led on aspects of governance such as handling complaints, risk management and audits and staff development