Archived: Mydentist - Front Street - Arnold

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 20 June 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

The practice is located in premises close to the centre of Arnold on the northern outskirts of Nottingham. The practice provides mostly NHS dental treatments. There is a public car park to the rear of the practice and this includes disabled parking. There are three treatment rooms all of which are located on the ground floor.

The current provider operating under the name of Mydentist purchased the practice in September 2015. The practice is a training practice for foundation dentists. These are dentists who are in the final year of their training. They spend a year working in a practice under supervision to gain hands on experience.

The practice was first registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in May 2011. The practice provides regulated dental services to both adults and children. Services provided include general dentistry, dental hygiene, crowns and bridges, and root canal treatment.

The practice’s opening hours are: Monday: 8:30 am to 5:30 pm; Tuesday 9 am to 8 pm; Wednesday: 9 am to 8 pm; Thursday: 8:30 am to 5:30 pm; Friday: 8:30 am to 5 pm and Saturday from 9 am to 12:30 pm.

Access for urgent treatment outside of opening hours is by telephoning the practice and following the instructions on the answerphone message. Alternatively patients could telephone the NHS 111 telephone number.

The practice manager 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.

The practice has five dentists; one dental hygienist/ dental therapist; three qualified dental nurses; one trainee dental nurse; two receptionists and a practice manager.

We received positive feedback from ten patients about the services provided. This was through CQC comment cards left at the practice prior to the inspection. On this occasion we did not speak directly with any patients at the practice.

Our key findings were:

• The premises were visibly clean and there were systems and processes in place to maintain the cleanliness.

• Records showed there were sufficient numbers of suitably qualified staff to meet the needs of patients.

• Patients provided positive written feedback about their experiences at the practice. Patients commented they were treated with dignity and respect; and dentists involved them in discussions about treatment options and answered questions.
• Patients’ confidentiality was protected.
• There were systems in place to record accidents, significant events and complaints, and where learning points were identified these were shared with staff.
• The records showed that apologies had been given for any concerns or upset that patients had experienced at the practice.
• The practice followed the relevant guidance from the Department of Health's: ‘Health Technical Memorandum 01-05 (HTM 01-05) for infection control with regard to cleaning and sterilizing dental instruments.
• There was a whistleblowing policy accessible to all staff, who were aware of procedures to follow if they had any concerns.
• The practice had the necessary equipment for staff to deal with medical emergencies, and staff had been trained how to use that equipment. This included an automated external defibrillator, oxygen and emergency medicines.