Wall Heath Dental Practice

Updated 18 July 2016

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the practice was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

This inspection took place on 15 June 2016 and was led by a CQC inspector and supported by a specialist dental advisor. Prior to the inspection, we reviewed information we held about the provider. We informed NHS England area team that we were inspecting the practice and we did not receive any information of concern from them. We asked the practice to send us some information that we reviewed. This included the complaints they had received in the last 12 months, their latest statement of purpose, and the details of their staff members including proof of registration with their professional bodies.

During our inspection we toured the premises; we reviewed policy documents and staff records and spoke with four members of staff, including the registered manager. We looked at the storage arrangements for emergency medicines and equipment. We were shown the decontamination procedures for dental instruments and the computer system that supported the dental care records.

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

• Is it safe?

• Is it effective?

• Is it caring?

• Is it responsive to people’s needs?

• Is it well-led?

These questions therefore formed the framework for the areas we looked at during the inspection.

Updated 18 July 2016

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 15 June 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 regulations.

Background

Wall Heath Dental Practice has two dentists who own the practice, two part time hygienists, five qualified dental nurses who are registered with the General Dental Council (GDC); two of which mainly work on reception and one trainee dental nurse. The practice’s opening hours are 8.30am to 5.15pm on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, 8.30am to 5pm on Monday and 9.30am to 6pm on Thursday. The practice closes for lunch each day, however there is a receptionist available unless the practice is closed for a meeting.

Wall Health Dental Practice provides mainly private and a small amount of NHS dental treatment for adults and children. The practice has two dental treatment rooms; both on the ground floor. There is a separate decontamination room for cleaning, sterilising and packing dental instruments. There is also a reception with adjoining waiting area.

The registered manager was present during this inspection. 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.

Before the inspection we sent Care Quality Commission comments cards to the practice for patients to complete to tell us about their experience of the practice and during the inspection we spoke with two patients. Overall we received feedback from 51 patients who provided an overwhelmingly positive view of the services the practice provides. All of the patients commented that the quality of care was very good.

Our key findings were

• Systems were in place for the recording and learning from significant events and accidents.
• There were sufficient numbers of suitably qualified staff to meet the needs of patients.
• Patients were treated with dignity and respect.
• The practice was visibly clean and well maintained.
• Infection control procedures were in place and infection prevention and control audits were being undertaken on a six monthly basis as detailed in the Department of Health’s guidance on decontamination (HTM 01-05).
• The provider had emergency medicines in line with the British National Formulary (BNF) guidance for medical emergencies in dental practice.
• Staff had been trained to deal with medical emergencies.
• The practice was well-led and staff felt involved and worked as a team.
• Patients received clear explanations about their proposed treatment, costs, benefits and risks and were involved in making decisions about it.
• We received positive feedback from patients. Patients felt they received a good service from dental staff that was professional, caring and helpful.