Archived: Gencare Dental Clinic - Huddersfield

We undertook a follow up focused inspection of Gencare Dental Clinic - Huddersfield on 9 July 2019. This inspection was carried out to review in detail the actions taken by the registered provider to improve the quality of care and to confirm that the practice was now meeting legal requirements.

The inspection was led by a CQC inspector who had remote access to a specialist dental adviser.

We undertook a comprehensive inspection of Gencare Dental Clinic - Huddersfield on 19 February 2019 under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. We found the registered provider was not providing well led care and was in breach of regulation 17 (Good governance) of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. You can read our report of that inspection by selecting the 'all reports' link for Gencare Dental Clinic - Huddersfield on our website www.cqc.org.uk.

As part of this inspection we asked:

• Is it well-led?

When one or more of the five questions are not met we require the service to make improvements and send us an action plan. We then inspect again after a reasonable interval, focusing on the areas where improvement was required.

Our findings were:

Are services well-led?

We found this practice was providing well-led care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

The provider had made improvements in relation to the regulatory breach we found at our inspection on 19 February 2019.

Background

Gencare Dental Clinic - Huddersfield provides NHS and private treatment to adults and children.

There is level access for people who use wheelchairs and those with pushchairs. Car parking spaces are available near the practice.

The dental team includes two dentists, two dental nurses, a receptionist and a practice manager. The practice has two treatment rooms.

At the time of inspection there was no registered manager in post as required as a condition of registration. A registered manager is legally responsible for the delivery of services for which the practice is registered.

During the inspection we spoke with the practice manager and the area compliance manager. We looked at practice policies and procedures and other records about how the service is managed.

The practice is open:

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 9:00am to 5:30pm

Wednesday from 9:00am to 6:30pm

Our key findings were:

• Improvements had been made to the process for managing the risks associated with scalding water and Legionella.
• The infection prevention and control and whistleblowing policy had been updated.
• Staff had received an appraisal.
• Improvements had been made to the recruitment process.

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

• Review the providers registration conditions to ensure the regulated activities at Gencare Dental Clinic - Huddersfield are managed by an individual who is registered as a manager.

We carried out this announced inspection on 19 February 2019 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 provider was meeting the legal requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated regulations. The inspection was led by a 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:

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 not providing well-led care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Background

Gencare Dental Clinic - Huddersfield provides NHS and private treatment to adults and children.

There is level access for people who use wheelchairs and those with pushchairs. Car parking spaces are available near the practice.

The dental team includes two dentists, two dental nurses, and a practice manager. The practice has two treatment rooms.

The practice is owned by a company and as a condition of registration must have a person registered with the Care Quality Commission as the registered manager. Registered managers 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 at Gencare Dental Clinic - Huddersfield is the operations manager.

On the day of inspection, we collected seven CQC comment cards filled in by patients.

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

The practice is open:

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 9:00am to 5:30pm

Wednesday from 9:00am to 6:30pm

Our key findings were:

• The practice appeared clean and well maintained.
• The provider had infection control procedures which reflected published guidance.
• Staff knew how to deal with emergencies. Appropriate medicines and life-saving equipment were available.
• Improvements could be made to the process for reporting significant events and managing the risks associated with carrying out the regulated activities.
• The provider had suitable safeguarding processes and staff knew their responsibilities for safeguarding vulnerable adults and children.
• Improvements could be made to the recruitment process and process for monitoring evidence of indemnity, GDC registration and training for staff.
• The clinical staff provided patients’ care and treatment in line with current guidelines.
• Staff treated patients with dignity and respect and took care to protect their privacy and personal information.
• Staff were providing preventive care and supporting patients to ensure better oral health.
• The appointment system took account of patients’ needs.
• Staff felt involved and supported and worked well as a team.
• The provider asked patients for feedback about the services they provided.
• The provider dealt with complaints positively and efficiently. Improvements could be made to the process for ensuring complaints are acknowledged in the time frame set out in the practice’s policy.
• The provider had suitable information governance arrangements.

We identified regulations 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 is at the end of this report.