Weston Dental Centre

We carried out this announced inspection on 20 September 2017 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 CQC inspector who was supported by a specialist dental adviser.

We told the NHS England Cheshire and Merseyside area team and Healthwatch that we were inspecting the practice. We did not receive any information of concern from them.

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

Weston Dental Centre is located in the village of Weston and provides dental care and treatment to adults and children on an NHS and privately funded basis.

The provider has installed a ramp to facilitate access to the practice for wheelchair users. The practice has three treatment rooms. Car parking is available at the practice.

The dental team includes two dentists, two dental hygiene therapists, five dental nurses, two of whom are apprentices, and two receptionists. The team is supported by a practice manager.

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.

We received feedback from 42 people during the inspection about the services provided. The feedback provided was positive about the practice.

During the inspection we spoke to one of the dentists, a dental hygiene therapist, dental nurses, receptionists and the practice manager. We looked at practice policies, procedures and other records about how the service is managed.

The practice is open:

Monday to Friday 9.00am to 4.30pm.

Our key findings were:

• The practice was clean and well maintained.
• The practice had infection control procedures in place which reflected published guidance.
• Staff knew how to deal with emergencies. Appropriate medical emergency medicines and equipment were available.
• The practice had safeguarding processes in place and staff knew their responsibilities for safeguarding adults and children.
• Staff provided patients’ care and treatment in line with current guidelines.
• The practice had a procedure in place for dealing with complaints.
• Staff treated patients with dignity and respect and took care to protect their privacy and personal information.
• The appointment system took patients’ needs into account. Dedicated emergency appointments were available.
• The practice had a leadership structure. Staff felt involved and supported and worked well as a team.
• The practice asked patients and staff for feedback about the services they provided.
• The practice had systems in place to help them manage risk. We found that not all measures to reduce the risks associated with sharp items were in place.
• The practice had staff recruitment procedures in place but we found that procedures were not followed for visiting staff.

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

• Review the practice's recruitment policy and procedures to ensure accurate, complete and detailed records are maintained for all staff.
• Review the practice’s sharps procedures to ensure compliance with the Health and Safety (Sharp Instruments in Healthcare) Regulations 2013.