Updated 25 April 2019
We undertook a focused inspection of Newcastle Under Lyme Dental Practice on 25 March 2019. This inspection was carried out to review in detail the actions taken by the registered provider to improve the quality of care and to confirm that the practice was now meeting legal requirements.
The inspection was led by a CQC inspector who was supported by a specialist dental adviser.
We undertook a comprehensive inspection of Newcastle Under Lyme Dental Practice on 18 February 2019 under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. We found the registered provider was not providing well led care and was in breach of regulation 17 (Good governance) of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. You can read our report of that inspection by selecting the 'all reports' link for Newcastle Under Lyme Dental Practice on our website www.cqc.org.uk.
As part of this inspection we asked:
• Is it well-led?
When one or more of the five questions are not met we require the service to make improvements and send us an action plan. We then inspect again after a reasonable interval, focusing on the areas where improvement was required.
Our findings were:
Are services well-led?
We found this practice was providing well-led care in accordance with the relevant regulations.
The provider had made improvements in relation to the regulatory breach we found at our inspection on 18 February 2019.
Background
Newcastle Under Lyme Dental Practice provides private treatment to adults and children.
Due to the nature of the practice wheelchair access is not possible. Wheelchair users would be signposted to a local practice which is fully accessible. Car parking spaces are available near the practice.
The dental team includes seven dentists, five dental nurses, a dental hygienist, two dental hygiene therapists, a deputy practice manager and a practice manager. The practice has five treatment rooms.
The practice is owned by an individual who is the practice owner. They 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 spoke with one dentist 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, Tuesday and Friday from 8:00am to 5:00pm
Wednesday from 9:00am to 7:00pm
Thursday from 10:00am to 7:00pm
Our key findings were:
- Improvements had been made to the infection control processes.
- Improvements had been made to the processes for managing the risks associated with radiation and Legionella.
- Improvements had been made to the process for monitoring staff training.