Updated 7 July 2017
Background
Gentle Dental Care 4U Ltd is located in Tilehurst, Reading and provides NHS and private treatment to patients of all ages. The premises are on the ground floor and consist of four treatment rooms, an X-ray room, a decontamination room and a reception area. The practice is open on Monday and Wednesday 8:30am – 6:00pm, Tuesday and Thursday 8:00am – 8:00pm and Friday 8:00am – 6:00pm. There is level access for people who use wheelchairs and pushchairs.
Car parking spaces are available near the practice.
The dental team includes the principal dentists, six associate dentists, five dental nurses, two dental hygienists, a receptionist and the practice manager.
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 Gentle Dental Care 4U Ltd was the practice manager.
On the day of inspection we collected 32 CQC comment cards filled in by patients and spoke with two other patients. We also reviewed results of the practice patient satisfaction survey. This information gave us a positive view of the practice.
During the inspection we spoke with the principal dentists, two dental nurses and the receptionist. We looked at practice policies and procedures and other records about how the service is managed.
Our key findings were:
- The practice was clean and well maintained.
- The practice had infection control procedures which reflected published guidance.
- The practice had effective safeguarding processes in place and staff understood their responsibilities for safeguarding adults and child protection.
- Patients’ needs were assessed and care was planned in line with current guidance such as from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).
- We found the dentists regularly assessed each patient’s gum health and took X-rays at appropriate intervals.
- Patients were involved in their care and treatment planning so they could make informed decisions.
- The practice had systems to help them manage risk.
- The practice had thorough staff recruitment procedures.
- 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.
- The practice dealt with complaints positively and efficiently.
There were areas where the provider could make improvements and should:
- Review the practice’s arrangements for receiving, reviewing and responding to patient safety alerts, recalls and rapid response reports issued from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and through the Central Alerting System (CAS), as well as from other relevant bodies such as, Public Health England (PHE).
- Review the current staffing arrangements to ensure all dental care professionals are adequately supported by a trained member of the dental team when treating patients in a dental setting.