• Dentist
  • Dentist

Archived: Smiles Better

243 Bury New Road, Whitefield, Manchester, Lancashire, M45 8QP (0161) 796 2404

Provided and run by:
Smiles Better Practices Ltd

Important: The provider of this service changed. See old profile

All Inspections

18 December 2019

During an inspection looking at part of the service

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.

18 September 2019

During a routine inspection

We carried out this announced inspection on 18 September 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 not providing well-led care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

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. The registered manager at Smiles Better is the practice manager.

On the day of inspection, we collected eight CQC comment cards filled in by patients.

During the inspection we spoke with one dentist, one dental nurse, one 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:

  • 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 provider 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.
  • Staff recruitment procedures were not working effectively.
  • The clinical staff provided patients’ care and treatment in line with current guidelines. Improvements could be made to the consent process.
  • Staff treated patients with dignity and respect and took care to protect their privacy and personal information.
  • Staff provided preventive care and supported patients to ensure better oral health.
  • The appointment system took account of patients’ needs.
  • Staff morale was low within the practice.
  • The provider asked patients for feedback about the services they provided.
  • The provider dealt with complaints positively and efficiently.
  • The provider had suitable information governance arrangements.

We identified regulations the provider was not complying with. They must:

  • Establish effective systems and processes to ensure good governance in accordance with the fundamental standards of care.

Full details of the regulation the provider was not meeting are at the end of this report.