Archived: Melksham Dental Centre

We carried out this announced inspection on 5 June 2017 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 specialist dental advisor.

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 this practice was providing safe care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Are services effective?

We found this practice was providing effective care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Are services caring?

We found this practice was providing caring services in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Are services responsive?

We found this practice was providing responsive care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Are services well-led?

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

Background

Melksham Dental Centre is located in the centre of the busy town of Melksham offering NHS treatment and some private treatments to patients of all ages.

The practice has two surgeries and is located in a row of shops in the centre of the town. There is level access from the street for people who use wheelchairs and pushchairs and facilities are accessible on the ground floor. Car parking spaces are available near the practice. The practice is well located near a main bus route.

The dental team includes three dentists, a dental hygienist, three dental nurses, two receptionists and a practice manager. The team is supported by a practice manager. The practice has two treatment rooms.

The practice is a Limited 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 Melksham Dental practice was the practice manager.

On the day of inspection we collected nine CQC comment cards filled in by patients and spoke with two other patients. This information gave us a positive view of the practice.

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

The practice is open Monday 9am to 1pm - 2pm to 6.30pm; Tuesday 8.30am to 1pm – 2pm to 5pm; Wednesday 8.30am to 1pm – 2pm to 5pm; Thursday 9am to 1pm – 2pm to 5pm; Friday 9am to 1pm – 2pm to 4pm. The practice is closed at weekends but the out of hours emergency arrangements are displayed on their website. Contact information is available from the practice telephone answering service.

Our key findings were:

• The practice was clean and well maintained.
• The practice had infection control procedures in place which reflected published guidance.
• The practice had safeguarding processes in place and staff knew their responsibilities for safeguarding adults and children.
• Staff knew how to deal with emergencies. Appropriate medicines and life-saving equipment were available.
• The practice had systems to help them manage risk.
• 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.
• The appointment system met patients’ needs and dedicated emergency appointments were available.
• The practice used digital radiographs to help explain necessary treatment to patients.
• The practice had effective leadership. Staff felt involved and supported and worked well as a team.
• The practice had recruitment procedures in place.
• The practice asked staff and patients for feedback about the services they provided.
• The practice dealt with complaints positively and efficiently.

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

• Review the practice recruitment policy and procedures to ensure accurate, complete and detailed records are maintained for all staff in the practice.
• Review the practice protocols to ensure the training, learning and development needs of individual staff members are reviewed at appropriate intervals and an effective process is established for the on-going assessment and supervision of all staff.
• Review the current performance review systems in place and have an effective process established for the on-going assessment and supervision of all staff.