Devonshire Quarter Dental Practice

Updated 13 January 2017

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 registered provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

The inspection was led by a CQC inspector who was supported by a specialist dental adviser.

We informed local NHS England area team and Healthwatch that we were inspecting the practice. We did not receive any information of concern from them.

During the inspection received feedback from 34 patients. We also spoke with the dentist, one dental nurse, one receptionist and the practice manager. To assess the quality of care provided we looked at practice policies and protocols and other records relating to the management of the service.

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 13 January 2017

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 22 November 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

Devonshire Quarter Dental Practice is located in Sheffield city centre, South Yorkshire. The practice offers mainly NHS dental treatments to patients of all ages and also offers private options. The services include preventative advice and treatment and routine restorative dental care.

The practice has one surgery, a decontamination suite, two waiting areas and a reception area. The reception area, main waiting area and toilet are on the ground floor. The surgery, decontamination room and a smaller waiting area are on the first floor.

There is one dentist, two dental nurses, two receptionists and a practice manager.

The opening hours are Monday to Wednesday and Friday from 9-00am to 5-00pm and Thursday from 9-00am to 7-00pm.

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

During the inspection we received feedback from 34 patients. The patients were positive about the care and treatment they received at the practice. Comments included staff had a professional manner, were friendly, caring and professional. They also commented they were seen on time, treatment options were discussed and the practice was always clean and hygienic.

Our key findings were:

• The practice was visibly clean and uncluttered.
• The practice had systems in place to assess and manage risks to patients and staff including health and safety and the management of medical emergencies.
• Staff were qualified and had received training appropriate to their roles.
• Patients were involved in making decisions about their treatment and were given clear explanations about their proposed treatment including costs, benefits and risks.
• Dental care records showed treatment was planned in line with current best practice guidelines.
• Oral health advice and treatment were provided in-line with the ‘Delivering Better Oral Health’ toolkit (DBOH).
• We observed patients were treated with kindness and respect by staff.
• There was a warm and friendly feel to the practice.
• Staff ensured there was sufficient time to explain fully the care and treatment they were providing in a way patients understood.
• The practice had an effective complaints system in place.
• Patients were able to make routine and emergency appointments when needed.
• The governance systems were effective.
• There were clearly defined leadership roles within the practice and staff told us they felt supported, appreciated and comfortable to raise concerns or make suggestions.

We identified the following notable practice:

• The practice was involved in the “Filling Children’s Teeth: Indicated Or Not?” (FiCTION) trial. The FiCTION trial compares alternative methods of managing dental decay in the primary dentition. These methods included purely preventative care, preventative care plus biological intervention (partial decay removal) and preventative care plus surgical intervention (full decay removal). This research could have a major impact on the way dentists treat dental decay in children. We think this is notable practice because it demonstrates a commitment to improving the quality of treatment provided to children by involving themselves in current research.

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

• Review the practice’s process to ensure the compressor is serviced at regular intervals.