Updated 10 February 2020
We undertook a follow up focused inspection of Smiles Better on 18 December 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 Smiles Better on 18 September 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 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 Smiles Better 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 September 2019.
Background
Smiles Better is in the Whitefield area of Manchester and provides private dental treatment to adults and children.
There is level access for people who use wheelchairs and pushchairs. A ground floor surgery is available but this is only suitable for patients requiring denture work. Car parking spaces are available near the practice.
The dental team includes two dentists, one dental nurse, one receptionist, a patient care co-ordinator and a practice manager. The practice has one dental treatment room and a treatment room only suitable for denture work.
The practice is owned by a company 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. At the time of inspection there was no registered manager in post as required as a condition of registration. A registered manager is legally responsible for the delivery of services for which the practice is registered.
During the inspection we spoke with one dentist, the dental nurse, the receptionist 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 from 9:00am to 6:00pm
Friday from 9:00am to 1:00pm
Our key findings were:
- Improvements had been made to the process for reporting significant events and incidents.
- Improvements had been made to the recruitment process
- Improvements had been made to the process for documenting consent in dental care records.
There were areas where the provider could make improvements. They should:
- Take action to ensure the regulated activities at Smiles Better are managed by an individual who is registered as a manager.