Archived: Heswall Dental Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 16 November 2015 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

The practice is situated in Heswall, an affluent area of Wirral. The practice has one principal dentist, three associate dentists, one dental hygienist, a practice manager and four qualified dental nurses. The practice provides primary dental services to predominately NHS patients. The practice is open Monday – Friday 9am – 5.30pm.

The principal dentist is the registered provider. A registered provider is registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered providers have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the practice is run.

We received feedback from 53 patients about the service. The comment cards seen and patients spoken to reflected positive comments about the staff and the services provided. Patients commented that the practice appeared clean; they found the staff very caring and friendly. They had trust and confidence in the dental treatments and said explanations were clear and understandable. Emergency appointments were available on the same day and appointments usually ran on time.

Our key findings were:

• The practice recorded and analysed accidents, incidents and complaints and cascaded learning to staff when they occurred.
• Staff had received safeguarding training and knew the processes to follow to raise any concerns.
• There were sufficient numbers of suitably qualified staff to meet the needs of patients.
• Staff had been trained to deal with medical emergencies and emergency medicines and emergency equipment were available.
• Infection control procedures were in place.
• Patients’ care and treatment was planned and delivered in line with evidence based guidelines, best practice and current legislation.
• Patients received clear explanations about their proposed treatment, benefits and risks and were involved in making decisions about it.
• Patients were treated with dignity and respect and confidentiality was maintained.
• The appointment system met the needs of patients and waiting times were kept to a minimum.
• The practice staff felt involved and worked as a team.
• The practice sought feedback from staff and patients about the services they provided.

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

• That when patient safety and other relevant alerts and guidance are followed actions taken are recorded.
• Reviewing and updating policies and procedures including infection control and recruitment policies and procedures to ensure they meet relevant guidelines and legislation.
• Clearly defining job roles and delegating staff relevant responsibilities to involve all staff in the governance framework.
• Equipping the practice with paediatric oxygen masks and defibrillator pads to complete their emergency equipment.
• Reviewing procedures for storage of paper records in accordance with the Department of Health's code of Practice for Records Management (NHS Code of Practice 2006) and other relevant guidance about information security and governance.