Archived: Merrystead Dental Practice

We carried out this announced comprehensive inspection on 8 November 2022 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 practice was meeting the legal requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated regulations. The inspection was led by a Care Quality Commission, (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:

• The dental clinic was visibly clean and well-maintained.
• The practice had infection control procedures which reflected published guidance.
• Staff knew how to deal with medical emergencies. Appropriate medicines and life-saving equipment were available.
• The practice had systems to help them manage risk to patients and staff.
• Safeguarding processes were in place and staff knew their responsibilities for safeguarding vulnerable adults and children.
• The clinical staff provided patients’ care and treatment in line with current guidelines.
• Patients were treated with dignity and respect and staff took care to protect their privacy and personal information.
• Staff provided preventive care and supported patients to ensure better oral health.
• Staff and patients were asked for feedback about the services provided.
• Complaints were dealt with positively and efficiently.
• Staff generally worked as a team. However, improvements were needed to ensure that they were supported and involved in the delivery of care and treatment.
• The provider did not have suitable staff recruitment procedures to comply with legislation.
• There were ineffective systems to ensure that staff were up to date with their training.
• The practice did not have adequate systems to minimise the risk that could be caused from substances that are hazardous to health.

Background

Merrystead Dental Practice is in Blackfield, Hampshire and provides NHS and private dental care and treatment for adults and children.

There is level access to the practice for people who use wheelchairs and those with pushchairs. Car parking spaces, including dedicated parking for disabled people, are available at the practice.

The dental team includes the principal dentist and 2 dental nurses. The practice has 1 treatment room.

During the inspection we spoke with the principal dentist and the dental nurses. We looked at practice policies and procedures and other records about how the service is managed.

The practice is open:

Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday 8.45am to 4.30pm

Thursday & Friday 8.45 am to 12.30pm

We identified regulation the provider was not complying with. They must:

Establish effective systems and processes to ensure good governance in accordance with the fundamental standards of care

Full details of the regulation the provider was not meeting are at the end of this report.

There were areas where the provider could make improvements. They should:

• Take action to ensure audits of radiography and infection prevention and control are undertaken at regular intervals to improve the quality of the service. The practice should also ensure that, where appropriate, audits have documented learning points and the resulting improvements can be demonstrated.