Dash Dental Care

Updated 29 March 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 29 February 2016. The inspection was led by a CQC inspector and a dental specialist advisor.

Before the inspection we asked the practice to send us information which we reviewed. This included the complaints they had received in the last 12 months, their latest statement of purpose, the details of the staff members, their qualifications and proof of registration with their professional bodies. We also reviewed the information we held about the practice and found there were no areas of concern.

During the inspection we spoke with dentists (the providers), three dental nurses and the practice manager. We looked around the premises and all of the treatment rooms. We reviewed a range of policies and procedures and other documents including dental care records.

We informed NHS England area team and Healthwatch that we were inspecting the practice; however we did not receive any information of concern from them.

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 29 March 2016

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 29 February 2016 to 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

Dash Dental Care provides a wide range of private dental treatments for people of all ages. Treatments include routine dentistry, preventative care, conscious sedation and dentures, hygienist service, cosmetic dentistry and tooth whitening. One of the dentists specialises in fitting dental implants. The practice is located in Northenden, there are four treatment rooms situated over the ground and first floors. The practice specialises in treating nervous patients.

The practice has two dentists who are business partners (the providers) they are supported by three part time dental hygienist/therapists, dental nurses who also cover reception and a practice manager.

The opening times were Monday and Tuesday 8.45am to 5pm, Wednesday and Thursday 8.30am to 5pm and Friday 8am to 4pm.

One of the providers 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.

Four patients provided feedback about the service. Patients were complimentary about the

friendliness and professionalism of staff, the care and treatment they received and the standards of cleanliness at the practice.

Our key findings were:

There was appropriate equipment for staff to undertake their duties, and equipment was well maintained.

• The practice had access to an automated external defibrillator and medical oxygen available on the premises.

• The provider had emergency medicines in line with the British National Formulary (BNF) guidance for medical emergencies in dental practice.

• The practice carried out oral health assessments and planned treatment in line with current best practice guidance, for example from the Faculty of General Dental Practice (FGDP). Patient dental care records were detailed and showed on-going monitoring of patients’ oral health.

• Staff recruitment records contained the required documents and checks.

• Patients were provided with sufficient information about their treatment options to enable them to make informed decisions.

• The practice kept detailed dental care records that showed ongoing monitoring of patients’ oral health.

• New patients were asked to complete a medical history form that included information about allergies, general health and any medications they were taking. This was checked verbally at each consultation.

• The practice was well-led and staff felt involved and worked as a team.

• Governance systems were effective and there was a range of clinical and non-clinical audits to monitor the quality of services.

• The practice sought feedback from staff and patients about the services they provided.