Updated 1 June 2017
Background
Reading Smiles Dental is in Reading, Berkshire and provides private treatment to patients of all ages.
The practice is located on the first floor of a commercial building in Reading town centre. Car parking spaces are available near the practice.
The dental team includes five dentists, three dental nurses, one dental hygienist therapist, two trainee nurses, two receptionists and one practice manager. The practice had four treatment rooms.
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 we collected fourteen CQC comment cards filled in by patients and spoke with three other patients. This information gave us a positive view of the practice.
During the inspection we spoke with a mix of staff including dentists, dental nurses, a dental hygiene therapist, reception staff and the practice manager. We looked at practice policies and procedures and other records about how the service is managed.
The practice is open between 8am and 8pm on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday and between 8am and 5pm on Friday and Saturday.
Our key findings were:
- The practice was clean and well maintained.
- The practice had infection control procedures which reflected published guidance.
- Staff knew how to deal with emergencies. Appropriate medicines and life-saving equipment were available.
- The practice had systems to help them manage risk.
- The practice had suitable safeguarding processes and staff knew their responsibilities for safeguarding adults and children.
- 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.
- The appointment system met patients’ needs.
- The practice had effective leadership. Staff felt involved and supported and worked well as a team.
- The practice asked staff and patients for feedback about the services they provided.
- The practice dealt with complaints positively and efficiently.
There were areas where the provider could make improvements. They should:
- Review the practice's recruitment policy and procedures to ensure accurate, complete and detailed records are maintained for all staff.
- Review the way that the practice met the needs of patients with hearing difficulties.
- Review availability of medicines and equipment to manage medical emergencies taking into account guidelines issued by the British National Formulary, the Resuscitation Council (UK), and the General Dental Council (GDC) standards for the dental team.