Bare Dental Clinic Limited

We carried out an unannounced responsive inspection on 20 October 2016 to ask the practice the following key question; Are services safe.

Our findings were:

Are services safe?

We found that this practice was providing safe care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Background

Bare Dental Clinic Limited is situated in the centre of Bare, Morecambe. The practice offers private dental treatments including preventative advice, dental implants, dental conscious sedation and general dentistry.

The practice has one surgery, a decontamination room, a waiting room, a reception area and patient toilets.

There is one dentist and four dental nurses (two of which are trainees and two are bank nurses).

The practice is open:

Monday, Wednesday & Thursday 8:30am – 5:30pm

The reception is manned Tuesday 9am – 4pm and Friday 9am -1:30 pm.

The principal dentist is registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) as an individual registered person. 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.

Our key findings were:

• The practice held equipment and medicines for use in a medical emergency. Staff were confident of what to do in the event of a medical emergency.
• Conscious sedation was carried out safely and in line with guidance from the Intercollegiate Advisory Committee on Sedation in Dentistry in the document 'Standards for Conscious Sedation in the Provision of Dental Care 2015.
• The process around equipment checks for inhalation sedation should be more robust.
• Dental instruments were not always bagged or date stamped in line with HTM 01-05 guidance.
• Due to the size of the practice and difficult storage, the dental practice seamed to be generally cluttered.

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

• Review the practice’s infection control procedures and protocols to ensure they are suitable giving due regard to guidelines issued by the Department of Health - Health Technical Memorandum 01-05: Decontamination in primary care dental practices and The Health and Social Care Act 2008: ‘Code of Practice about the prevention and control of infections and related guidance’.
• Review the practice’s protocols for the maintenance of conscious sedation equipment giving due regard guidelines published by the Standing Dental Advisory Committee: conscious sedation in the provision of dental care. Report of an expert group on sedation for dentistry. Department of Health 2003.
• Review the practice's recruitment policy and procedures are suitable and the recruitment arrangements are in line with Schedule 3 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 to ensure necessary employment checks are in place for all staff and the required specified information in respect of bank dental nurses employed by the practice is held.
• Review the process to ensure all staff had undergone relevant training, to an appropriate level, in the safeguarding of children and vulnerable adults, CPR and infection prevention and control. Review staff training to ensure that dental nursing staff who are assisting in conscious sedation have the appropriate training and skills to carry out the role.
• Review the practice’s confidentiality procedures to ensure conversations held within the dental surgery cannot be over heard throughout the practice.