Marple Dental Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 21 March 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

Marple Dental Practice is located on the main Stockport Road in the centre of Marple. The practice offers a range of private dental services including family dental check-ups, dental hygiene work and children’s dentistry. There is a small car park to the rear of the practice and a number of municipal car parks within a short distance of the practice.

One of the registered providers 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.

We received five completed CQC comment cards and spoke with six patients about the care and treatment they received at the practice.

Our key findings were:

• There was appropriate equipment for staff to undertake their duties, and equipment was well maintained.

• The practice had access to an automated external defibrillator and medical oxygen was available on the premises.

• The provider had emergency medicines in line with the British National Formulary (BNF) guidance for medical emergencies in dental practice.

• Governance arrangements were in place for the smooth running of the practice and there was a structured plan in place to audit quality and safety.

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

• Review the ventilation within the decontamination room 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 sharps procedures giving due regard to the Health and Safety (Sharp Instruments in Healthcare) Regulations 2013.