Dental Care Falmer

Updated 7 June 2016

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.

The inspection took place on 16 May 2016 was led by a CQC inspector who had remote specialist advice from a dental specialist advisor. Prior to the inspection, we asked the practice to send us some information that we reviewed. This included the complaints they had received in the last 12 months, their latest statement of purpose, and the details of their staff members including proof of registration with their professional bodies.

During the inspection, we spoke with the practice manager, dentist, an agency dental nurse who is regularly used by the practice and the receptionist. We reviewed policies, procedures and other documents. We also obtained the views of three patients on the day of our visit. We reviewed 23 comment cards that we had left prior to the inspection, for patients to complete, about the services provided at the practice.

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 7 June 2016

At a previous inspection in September 2015 we found that there were shortfalls in a number of areas of the clinical governance systems of the practice. We carried out an announced responsive comprehensive inspection on 16 May 2016 to check that these shortfalls had been addressed and ask the practice the following key questions; Are services safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led?

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

Dental Care Falmer is a general dental practice which is situated within the campus of Sussex University in Falmer, East Sussex. The practice offers NHS and private dental treatment to adults and children. The practice has two dental treatment rooms, a decontamination room for the cleaning, sterilising and packing of dental instruments and a waiting area. All areas of the practice are located on the ground floor enabling access for patients with mobility difficulties.

The practice is open Monday to Friday 9.00 to 5.00pm. Dental Care Falmer has one dentist who on the day of our visit was supported by a dental nurse and a receptionist. Other staff included a part-time dental hygienist and a practice manager.

One of the practice owners is the registered manager. A registered manager is a person who is registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons 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 is supported in their role by the practice manager.

Before the inspection we sent Care Quality Commission comment cards to the practice for patients to complete to tell us about their experience of the practice. We received feedback from 23 patients and an additional three patients on the day of our visit. These provided a positive view of the services the practice provides. Patients commented on the high quality of care provided by the dentists, the friendly nature of all staff and the cleanliness of the practice.

Our key findings were:

• The practice philosophy was to provide friendly patient centred care.
• Staff had been trained to handle emergencies, appropriate medicines and life-saving equipment was readily available in accordance with current guidelines.
• The practice appeared clean and well maintained.
• Infection control procedures were in place and the practice followed published guidance.
• The practice had a safeguarding lead and processes in place for safeguarding adults and children living in vulnerable circumstances.
• Staff reported incidents and kept records of these which the practice used for shared learning.
• The dentist provided dental care in accordance with current professional and National Institute for Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines
• The service was aware of the needs of the local population and took these into account in how the practice was run.
• Patients could access treatment as well as urgent and emergency care when required.
• Staff recruitment files contained essential information in relation to Regulation 18, Schedule 3 of Health & Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2015.
• Staff had received training appropriate to their roles and were supported in their continued professional development by the practice manager.
• Information from 23 completed Care Quality Commission (CQC) comment cards gave us a positive picture of a friendly and professional service.
• We saw that the practice reviewed and dealt with written complaints according to their practice policy.

There were areas where the provider could make improvements and should:

• Review the availability of hearing loops for patients who are hard of hearing
• Consider providing the hygienist with the support of an appropriately trained member of the dental team.
• Consider the provision of an annual infection prevention control statement in accordance with The Health and Social Care Act 2008: ‘Code of Practice about the prevention and control of infections and related guidance’.
• Implement a system of regular appraisals for all staff at the practice.
• Update the practices’ details on the NHS Choices website including responding to patient feedback.
• Consider obtaining support in relation to the practice manager role through professional organisations within the dental sector.
• Review the health and safety risk assessment process so that the risk assessment is personalised to the practice.
• Consider updating the control of substances hazardous to health (COSHH) file.