• Dentist
  • Dentist

Old Forge House Dental Care

1 The Square, Derby, Derbyshire, DE3 0DD (01332) 512222

Provided and run by:
Mr. Eldridge Cunningham

All Inspections

13 February 2024

During a routine inspection

We carried out this announced comprehensive inspection on 13 February 2024 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 practice was meeting the legal requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated regulations.

The inspection was led by a Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspector who was supported by a specialist dental advisor.

To get to the heart of patients’ experiences of care and treatment, we always ask the following 5 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:

  • The dental clinic appeared clean. Processes to ensure the building was well-maintained were in place.
  • The practice infection control procedures did not always reflect published guidance. Specifically in relation to safe disposal of clinical and hazardous waste.
  • Staff knew how to deal with medical emergencies. Appropriate medicines and life-saving equipment were not available as required in national guidance.
  • Systems to manage risks for patients, staff, equipment and the premises were not effective. Specifically for fire, legionella and sharps injury.
  • Safeguarding processes were in place and staff knew their responsibilities for safeguarding vulnerable adults and children.
  • The practice staff recruitment procedures reflected current legislation. We found these were not always applied.
  • Clinical staff provided patients’ care and treatment in line with current guidelines. There was scope for improvement in the recording of treatment completed.
  • Patients were treated with dignity and respect. Staff took care to protect patients’ privacy and personal information.
  • Staff provided preventive care and supported patients to ensure better oral health.
  • The appointment system worked efficiently to respond to patients’ needs.
  • The frequency of appointments was agreed between the dentist and the patient, giving due regard to National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines.
  • Processes to support effective leadership and a culture of continuous improvement where not established.
  • Staff felt involved, supported and worked as a team.
  • Staff and patients were asked for feedback about the services provided.
  • Evidence of how complaints were responded to was not available.
  • The practice had information governance arrangements.

Background

Old Forge House Dental Care is in Mickleover in Derby and provides private dental care and treatment for adults and children.

There is a small step to access the practice, a portable ramp is available for people who use wheelchairs and those with pushchairs. Car parking spaces, including dedicated parking for disabled people, are available near the practice. The practice has made reasonable adjustments to support patients with access requirements.

The dental team includes 1 dentist, 1 dental nurse and a visiting endodontist. The practice has 2 treatment rooms.

During the inspection we spoke with the dentist and the dental nurse. We looked at practice policies, procedures and other records to assess how the service is managed.

The practice is open:

Monday and Wednesday from 9am to 5pm

Tuesday from 10am to 1pm and 3pm to 8pm

Thursday from 9am to 7pm

Friday from 9am to 1pm

We identified regulations the provider was not complying with. They must:

  • Care and treatment must be provided in a safe way for service users
  • Establish effective systems and processes to ensure good governance in accordance with the fundamental standards of care

Full details of the regulation the provider was not meeting are at the end of this report.

There were areas where the provider could make improvements. They should:

  • Take action to ensure the clinicians take into account the guidance provided by the College of General Dentistry when completing dental care records.

3 June 2014

During an inspection looking at part of the service

We did not speak to any people who used the service during our visit.

We found that various improvements had been made to protect people from the risk of infection. We saw that appropriate standards were followed relating to the cleaning of dental equipment. An appropriate cleaning area had been provided, and staff responsible for cleaning the equipment had attended relevant training.

However, an audit system was not in place to ensure that essential standards of infection control and policies were being followed. The provider agreed to put a system in place, and assured us that an infection control audit would be completed by 30 June 2014. They also agreed to update the infection control policies to ensure they detailed the procedures followed in practice.

2 May 2013

During a routine inspection

We spoke with people who used the service. They told us staff were friendly and approachable and spoke to them in a respectful way. People we spoke with told us staff treated them with dignity and communicated well. One person told us 'My family are all very happy here'.

People told us they had discussed the treatment options available to them and felt they were able to make informed choices about their treatment. This shows that people who use the service understood the care and treatment choices available to them. None of the people we spoke with told us they had any difficulty in making appointments. One person told us 'My husband works shifts so we've had to rearrange a few appointments but they've always been good about it'.

They told us they felt the practice delivered care and treatment in a way that met their needs and that they felt safe at the service and had never seen anything of concern.

People said they felt the practice was clean and staff always wore gloves and other protective clothing to prevent cross contamination; this was confirmed by our observation on the day. We saw that the practice had systems to reduce the risk of infection. However we had a concern that the correct decontamination procedure was not followed.

People told us they had the opportunity to give feedback about their treatment. We saw a patient information leaflet contained details of opening times, emergency contacts and the complaints procedure.