• Dentist
  • Dentist

Somerhill Dental Practice

26 Farm Road, Hove, East Sussex, BN3 1FD (01273) 327270

Provided and run by:
Somerhill Dental Practice Limited

Important: This service was previously registered at a different address - see old profile

All Inspections

26 June 2019

During a routine inspection

We carried out this announced inspection on 26 June 2019 under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. We planned the inspection to check whether the registered provider was meeting the legal requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated regulations. The inspection was led by a CQC inspector who was supported by a specialist dental adviser.

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 form the framework for the areas we look at during the inspection.

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

Somerhill Dental Practice is in Hove and provides NHS and private treatment to adults and children.

There is level access for people who use wheelchairs and those with pushchairs. Car parking spaces, including some for blue badge holders, are available near the practice.

The dental team includes seven dentists, two of which are foundation dentists, seven dental nurses, five dental hygienists, a deputy manager and a practice manager. The practice has six treatment rooms.

The practice is owned by a partnership and as a condition of registration must have a person registered with the Care Quality Commission as the registered manager. Registered managers have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated regulations about how the practice is run. The registered manager at Somerhill Dental Practice is the practice manager.

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On the day of inspection, we collected 40 CQC comment cards filled in by patients and spoke with five other patients.

During the inspection we spoke with four dentists, three dental nurses, the deputy manager and the practice manager. We looked at practice policies and procedures and other records about how the service is managed.

The practice is open:

Monday to Thursday 8.30am to 5.30pm

Friday 8.30am to 4.30pm

Our key findings were:

  • The practice appeared clean and well maintained.
  • The provider had infection control procedures which reflected published guidance.
  • Staff knew how to deal with emergencies. Appropriate medicines and life-saving equipment were available.
  • The practice had systems to help them manage risk to patients and staff.
  • The provider had suitable safeguarding processes and staff knew their responsibilities for safeguarding vulnerable adults and children.
  • The provider had thorough staff recruitment procedures.
  • The clinical staff provided patients’ care and treatment in line with current guidelines.
  • Staff treated patients with dignity and respect and took care to protect their privacy and personal information.
  • Staff were providing preventive care and supporting patients to ensure better oral health.
  • The appointment system took account of patients’ needs.
  • The provider had effective leadership and culture of continuous improvement.
  • Staff felt involved and supported and worked well as a team.
  • The provider asked staff and patients for feedback about the services they provided.
  • The provider dealt with complaints positively and efficiently.
  • The provider had suitable information governance arrangements.

22 April 2013

During a routine inspection

During our inspection we spoke with six patients. We spoke with six staff; these were the practice manager, the deputy practice manager, a dentist, a dental nurse, one of the hygienists and the decontamination nurse.

We also took information from other sources to help us understand the views of people who used the service, which included a patient satisfaction survey and staff meeting minutes.

The patients we spoke with told us they thought they received good dental treatment from the dentists. One patient told us 'I've been with them for 10 years and I've never had a problem in all that time'. Another patient told us 'They are really good and responsive to my needs'.

The practice was following appropriate guidance in relation to infection control and the staff were well trained and supported. A member of staff we spoke with told us 'Our level of infection control here is high. We take it very seriously as it is about patient and staff safety'.

Staff knew what their role was to protect vulnerable adults and children from abuse. A member of staff that we spoke with told us "One of the dentists is a child protection and vulnerable adult lead. I can talk to her if I have any concerns and there is also a poster in the staff room about who to contact from the local authority if I need to".

The practice had systems in place to assess and monitor the service and effectively deal with complaints when necessary.