Moonlight Dental Surgeries Limited

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 19 May 2016 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 regulation.

Background

Moonlight Dental Surgery operates from a purpose built health care premises and provides NHS and private dentistry for both adults and children. The practice is situated in Poole, Dorset.

The practice has two dental treatment rooms and a separate decontamination room used for cleaning, sterilising and packing dental instruments. The practice is based on the ground floor of a building it shares with a GP practice. The practice employs two dentists, two dental nurses, a reception/practice lead and a practice manager who is based over a number of sites.The practice opens Monday to Friday between 8.15am and 1pm and 2pm and 5pm.

There are arrangements in place to ensure patients receive urgent dental assistance when the practice is closed. This is provided by an out-of-hours service. If patients called the practice when it was closed, an answerphone message gives the telephone number patients should ring depending on their symptoms.

The practice lead is the registered manager. A registered manager is a person who is registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. 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.

During our inspection we reviewed 13 CQC comment cards completed by patients and obtained the view of 10 patients on the day of our inspection.

The inspection was carried out by a lead inspector and a dental specialist adviser.

Our key findings were:

• The practice was well led by an empowered and motivated practice lead.
• The practice ethos was to provide patient care in a relaxed and friendly environment.
• Staff were trained to handle emergencies and appropriate medicines and life-saving equipment was readily available in accordance with current guidelines.
• The practice appeared clean and well maintained.
• Infection control procedures were robust and the practice followed published guidance.
• The practice had a safeguarding lead and effective processes in place for safeguarding adults and children living in vulnerable circumstances.
• Staff reported incidents and kept records of these which the practice used for shared learning.
• Dentists provided dental care in accordance with current professional and National Institute for Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines.
• The service was aware of the needs of the local population and took these into account in how the practice was run.
• Patients could access treatment and urgent and emergency care when required.
• Staff received training appropriate to their roles and was supported in their continued professional development (CPD) by the practice management.
• Staff we spoke with felt well supported by the practice lead and practice manager and were committed to providing a quality service to their patients.
• Information from 13 completed Care Quality Commission (CQC) comment cards gave us a positive picture of a friendly, caring, professional and high quality service.
• The practice reviewed and dealt with complaints according to their practice policy.

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

• Consider installing a hearing loop for patients with hearing difficulties.
• Consider the provision of an annual infection prevention control statement in accordance with The Health and Social Care Act 2008: ‘Code of Practice about the prevention and control of infections and related guidance’.
• Consider fixing a locking device to the door of the decontamination room.