21 September 2012
During a routine inspection
As part of our inspection, we spoke with three people who were registered with the practice. We spoke with the senior dentist and nursing staff on duty about working at the practice.
People that used the practice told us that they were supported to be involved in all aspects of their treatment. We were told the treatment was always explained, and the options available to them were discussed before any decisions were made. One person told us 'I could ask all the silly questions I wanted.' Everyone told us that they were recommend the practice to other people. One person had only used the practice because their own practice would not do the treatment they wanted. They told us 'I cannot speak highly enough of the practice. I am so thrilled that I am thinking of moving.'
People received care and treatment that was planned to meet their needs. All consultations were recorded and any change in people's health needs taken into account when planning any treatment. General health and oral care advice was given as part of the consultation. One person described how the dentist respected their needs during the procedure, telling us 'He was very good and listened to my needs.'
Two of the people we spoke with were nervous about going to the dentist. They told us that the dentist and the staff were very patient with them and reassured them. One person told us how the dentist gave them a break part way through a long procedure because of their anxiety.
Following our last inspection in March 2012, we set compliance actions in two outcome areas where we had concerns. We found that there were not always enough staff to ensure that people received treatment at the right time. There was also no planning and delivery of training to ensure that staff were competent and felt confident to deliver the care. We used this inspection to follow up in these areas.
At this inspection, we found that there had been some changes to staffing arrangements to provide more flexibility to respond to unexpected absences. Despite unexpected staff absences on the day, no appointments were cancelled and people did not experience any delays in seeing the dentist. The planning and delivery of training still did not ensure that the training needs of staff were met. The training information available from the provider did not provide clear information on what training staff had completed or what was scheduled.
We found that there were processes in place to monitor the quality and safety of care but risks were not always identified and responded to. The understanding of staff on their responsibilities to identify potential abuse was good in respect to children but understanding in respect to protecting adults from abuse was poor. The current manager did not have a detailed understanding of how they would respond if they became aware of any form of abuse and their responsibilities to report potential abuse under local safeguarding procedures.