Cornerways Dental Practice

Updated 29 September 2016

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the practice was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

The inspection took place on the 07 July 2016 and was undertaken by a CQC inspector and a dental specialist advisor. Prior to the inspection we reviewed information submitted by the provider and information available on the provider’s website. The practice had been pro-active in asking patients to submit their feedback via the CQC website. Prior to the inspection 57 patients shared their experiences with us and all of the information was very positive.

The methods used to carry out this inspection included speaking with the practice manager, dentist, and a dental nurse on the day of the inspection, reviewing documents, completed patient feedback forms and observations.

We received 39 completed Care Quality Commission comment cards and 57 share your experience forms from patients and feedback was very positive about the service.

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 therefore formed the framework for the areas we looked at during the inspection

Updated 29 September 2016

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 07 July 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

Cornerways Dental Practice is located in the small village of Angmering Littlehampton in West Sussex and provides private dental services.

The practice is open Monday to Wednesday from 9am to 5.30pm. Thursday 9am to 8pm. Friday 8.30am to 1pm and Saturday by appointment only. The practice facilities include two consultation rooms, reception and waiting area, and a decontamination room.

We received feedback from 96 patients. Patient feedback was very positive about the service. Patients told us that staff were professional and caring and treated them with respect. They described the service as very good and providing an excellent standard of care. Information was given to patients appropriately and that staff were helpful.

The provider 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.

Our key findings were:

• The practice investigated significant and safety events and cascaded learning to staff.
• There were systems in place to reduce the risk and spread of infection. Dental instruments were cleaned and sterilised in line with current guidance.
• There were systems in place to ensure that all equipment, including the suction compressor, autoclave, fire extinguishers, oxygen cylinder and the X-ray equipment were working appropriately.
• Staff had received safeguarding children and adults training and knew the processes to follow to raise any concerns. The practice had whistleblowing policies and procedure and staff were aware of these and their responsibilities to report any concerns.
• Patients’ care and treatment was planned and delivered in line with current legislation and evidence based guidelines such as that from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).
• The practice ensured staff were trained and that they maintained the necessary skills and competence to support the needs of patients.
• There were sufficient numbers of suitably qualified staff to meet the needs of patients.
• Staff had been trained to handle medical emergencies, and appropriate medicines and life-saving equipment were readily available.
• Patients received clear explanations about their proposed treatment, costs, benefits and risks and were involved in making decisions about it.
• Patients were treated with dignity and respect and confidentiality was maintained.
• The appointment system met the needs of patients and waiting times were kept to a minimum.
• The practice had a procedure for handling and responding to complaints, which were displayed and available to patients.
• The practice was well-led and staff felt valued, involved and worked as a team. Staff meetings were routinely held to help share information and learning.
• Governance systems were effective and there were a range of policies and procedures in place which underpinned the management of the practice. Clinical and non-clinical audits were carried out to monitor the quality of services.
• The practice sought feedback from staff and patients about the services they provided and acted on this to improve its services.