Background to this inspection
Updated
11 May 2017
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.
We carried out an unannounced, comprehensive inspection due to some information of concern received which related to infection control on 20 March 2017. The inspection team consisted of a Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspector and a dental specialist advisor. We found that infection control at the practice was carried out appropriately.
We looked at the information we held about the practice but on this occasion we did not request information prior to our visit as this inspection was unannounced.
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
11 May 2017
We carried out an unannounced comprehensive inspection, due to concerns raised with regard to infection control on 20 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
Wolseley Place Dental Practice is a dental practice providing a small amount of NHS and private treatment options for patients. The practice is located in premises in Ashford in Kent.
The practice has one treatment room, which is on the first floor of the building.
The practice provides dental services to both adults and children. The practice provides private treatment under a dental payment programme and individually to patients. Services provided include, general dentistry, dental hygiene, crowns and bridges, and root canal treatment. Patients also have the option of private treatment options such as implants on referral.
The practice’s opening hours are – Monday to Thursday 9am to 5.30pm and Friday 9am to 12pm. Evening and weekend appointments can be made by with prior arrangement with the practice.
Access for urgent treatment outside of opening hours is by telephoning the practice and following the instructions on the answerphone message for the local out of hours dental service or by telephoning the 111 NHS service.
The principal dentist/owner is registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) as an individual. 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 practice has one dentists and one qualified dental nurse.
We did not provide CQC comment cards prior to our inspection on this occasion as this was an unannounced inspection we did review feedback that practice had received through surveys, comments and complaints.
Our key findings were:
• The practice was visibly clean and tidy.
• Records showed there were sufficient numbers of suitably qualified staff to meet the needs of patients.
• Patients at the practice gave mostly positive feedback about their experiences at the practice.
• Dentists identified the different treatment options, and discussed these with patients.
• Patients’ confidentiality was maintained.
• The practice followed the relevant guidance from the Department of Health's: ‘Health Technical Memorandum 01-05 (HTM 01-05) for infection control with regard to cleaning and sterilising dental instruments.
• The practice had the necessary equipment for staff to deal with medical emergencies, and staff had been trained how to use that equipment. This included an automated external defibrillator, oxygen and emergency medicines.