Archived: Burscough Dental & Sedation Practice

Updated 5 March 2015

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the practice was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and to pilot a new inspection process being introduced by the CQC.

This announced inspection was carried out on the 23 January 2015 by an inspector from the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

Prior to the inspection we reviewed information we held about the practice and from other organisations. We also reviewed information we asked the provider to send us in advance of the inspection. This included their latest statement of purpose describing their values and their objectives and a record of any complaints received in the last 12 months.

During the inspection we toured the premises and spoke with the principal dentist, four dental nurses and the practice manager. To assess the quality of care provided we looked at practice policies and protocols and other records relating to the management of the service.

We spoke with three patients who were using the service on the day of the inspection and obtained views of 12 patients who had filled in CQC comment cards.

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 therefore formed the framework for the areas we looked at during the inspection.

Updated 5 March 2015

We carried out a comprehensive inspection of The Family Dental Practice on 23 January 2015.

CQC inspected the practice in 2013 and asked the provider to make improvements regarding infection prevention and control and quality monitoring. We judged these had a minor impact on patient care. We checked these areas as part of this comprehensive inspection and found these have been resolved.

The Family Dental Practice is situated near Burscough town centre. It offers both NHS and private dental care services to patients of all ages. The services provided include preventative advice and treatment and routine and restorative dental care. The principal dentist carries out conscious intravenous (IV) sedation both for patients who attend this practice and for patients who have been referred by other local dental practices.

The Family Dental Practice has one full time dentist and four part time dentists, seven dental nurses, a dental nurse trainee and a dental therapist. One of the dental nurses is currently covering the role of practice manager in addition to their clinical duties. Two dental nurses carry out extended duties in dental sedation and one in dental radiology (X-rays)

We spoke with three patients who used the service on the day of our inspection and reviewed 12 completed CQC comment cards. Patients we spoke with and those who completed comments cards were positive about the care they received from the practice. They commented staff were caring, helpful and respectful.

Our key findings were:

• The practice had systems to help ensure patient safety. These included safeguarding children and adults from abuse, maintaining the required standards of infection prevention and control and responding to medical emergencies.

• The practice carried out oral health assessments and planned treatment in line with current best practice guidance or example from the Faculty of General Dental Practice (FGDP). Staff received training appropriate to their roles and told us they felt well supported to carry out their work.

• Patients told us they were treated with kindness and respect by staff. The practice provided conscious IV sedation to patients and staff were very knowledgeable about how to support patients who were nervous.

• Patients were able to make routine and emergency appointments when needed. There were clear instructions for patients regarding out of hours care.

• There were clearly defined leadership roles within the practice and staff told us they felt well supported and comfortable to raise concerns or make suggestions.