Updated 20 October 2017
We carried out this announced inspection on 21 September 2017 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
The Bramhope Dental Clinic is on the outskirts of Leeds and provides private treatment to adults and children. Treatments are provided by specialist dentists and include endodontics, restorative dentistry, orthodontics and paediatric dentistry (including conscious sedation).
There is level access for people who use wheelchairs and pushchairs. The practice has a dedicated car park.
The dental team includes four dentists, six dental nurses and one dental hygienist. The practice has two treatment rooms.
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 The Bramhope Dental Clinic was the principal dentist.
On the day of inspection we collected two CQC comment cards filled in by patients and spoke with two other patients. This information gave us a positive view of the practice.
During the inspection we spoke with the principal dentist and one dental nurse. We looked at practice policies and procedures and other records about how the service is managed.
The practice is open:
Monday to Wednesday from 9:15am to 4:00pm
Thursday from 9:45am to 3:00pm
Our key findings were:
- The practice was clean and well maintained.
- The practice had infection control procedures which reflected published guidance.
- Staff knew how to deal with emergencies.
- The practice had systems to help them manage risk.
- The practice had suitable safeguarding processes and staff knew their responsibilities for safeguarding adults and children.
- The practice had thorough staff recruitment procedures. Minor improvements could be made to the recruitment process.
- 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.
- The appointment system met patients’ needs.
- The practice had effective leadership. Staff felt involved and supported and worked well as a team.
- The practice asked staff and patients for feedback about the services they provided.
There were areas where the provider could make improvements and should:
- Review the storage of dental care records to ensure they are stored securely.
- Review the practice's recruitment policy and procedures to ensure Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks are obtained and recorded suitably.