Archived: Dr Eden

Updated 8 March 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 registered provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

The inspection was led by a CQC inspector who was supported by a specialist dental adviser.

We informed the local NHS England area team that we were inspecting the practice. We did not receive any information of concern from them.

We spoke with the registered provider, two dentists and two dental nurses. To assess the quality of care provided we looked at practice policies and protocols and other records relating to the management of the service.

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 8 March 2017

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 24 January 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

Dr Eden (Lepton Dental Surgery) is situated in a suburb of Huddersfield, West Yorkshire. The practice provides dental treatment to adult and children on an NHS or privately funded basis. The services include preventative advice and treatment and routine restorative dental care.

The practice has two surgeries, a decontamination room, two waiting areas and a reception area. The reception area, one waiting room and one surgery are on the ground floor. The other waiting room and surgery are on the first floor.

There are three dentists, one dental hygiene therapist and three dental nurses.

The opening hours are Monday to Thursday from 9-00am to 5-30pm and Friday from 9-00am to 4-30pm.

The practice owner is registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) as an individual. 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.

During the inspection we spoke with three patients who used the service and reviewed 16 completed CQC comment cards. The patients were positive about the care and treatment they received at the practice. Comments included staff were helpful, polite, professional and respectful. They also commented the appointment system met their needs and the practice is clean and hygienic.

Our key findings were:

• The practice was visibly clean and uncluttered.
• The practice had systems in place to assess and manage risks to patients and staff including health and safety and the management of medical emergencies.
• Staff were qualified and had received training appropriate to their roles.
• Patients were involved in making decisions about their treatment and were given clear explanations about their proposed treatment including costs, benefits and risks.
• Dental care records showed treatment was planned in line with current best practice guidelines.
• Oral health advice and treatment were provided in-line with the ‘Delivering Better Oral Health’ toolkit (DBOH).
• We observed patients were treated with kindness and respect by staff.
• Staff ensured there was sufficient time to explain fully the care and treatment they were providing in a way patients understood.
• The practice had a complaints system in place and there was an openness and transparency in how these were dealt with.
• Patients were able to make routine and emergency appointments when needed.
• The governance systems were effective.
• There were clearly defined leadership roles within the practice and staff told us they felt supported, appreciated and comfortable to raise concerns or make suggestions.

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

• Review its responsibilities as regards to the Control of Substance Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations 2002 and ensure all documentation is up to date.
• Review the training, learning and development needs of the dentists and have an effective process established for their on-going assessment.
• Review the practice's recruitment policy and procedures to ensure Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks are sought at the point of employment.
• Review its responsibilities to the needs of people with a disability and the requirements of the equality Act 2010 and ensure a Disability Discrimination Act audit is undertaken for the premises.