Updated 25 June 2020
We undertook a desk-based follow-up inspection of BUPA Dental Care Southport on 3 June 2020. 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.
We undertook a comprehensive inspection of BUPA Dental Care Southport on 23 December 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 safe or well led care and was in breach of regulation 12 and 17 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 BUPA Dental Care Southport on our website www.cqc.org.uk.
As part of this inspection we asked:
• Is it safe?
• 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 safe?
We found this practice was providing safe care in accordance with the relevant regulations.
The provider had made improvements in relation to the regulatory breaches we found at our inspection on 23 December 2019.
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 breaches we found at our inspection on 23 December 2019.
Background
BUPA – Church Street, Southport is in Southport, Merseyside and provides NHS and private dental care and treatment for adults and children. There is level access to the practice for people who use wheelchairs and those with pushchairs. Car parking spaces, including a dedicated parking space for people with disabilities, are available outside the practice.
The dental team includes four dentists, five dental nurses, two of whom are trainees, one dental hygiene therapist, two receptionists and a practice manager. The practice has four treatment rooms with one of these being on the ground floor which is completely accessible for those with limited mobility.
At the time of this desk-based follow-up 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 this desk-based follow-up inspection we spoke with the practice manager remotely and reviewed documentary evidence supplied by the practice by email. The practice is open Monday to Thursday from 8am to 7pm and on Friday from 8am to 5pm.
Our key findings were
- The provider had systems to help them manage risk to patients and staff. These had been reviewed and improved in response to our findings at the December 2019 inspection.
- Staff were following updated protocols to promote safe working.
- Staff had received refresher training, for example, on the Mental Capacity Act. All staff had the opportunity to discuss this at practice meetings to confirm their understanding of their responsibilities in relation to this.
- Systems to ensure staff received and understood medical alerts, updates and bulletins were in place and working effectively.
- Staff recruitment procedures reflected current legislation; up-dated records were in place to support this.
- Governance and management is supported by improved communication across the practice. Staff roles and responsibilities had been reviewed, and where new responsibilities had been assigned to some staff, they had received training and guidance to enable them to deliver these effectively.
There were areas where the provider could make improvements. They should:
- Take action to ensure the regulated activities at BUPA – Church Street, Southport are managed by an individual who is registered as a manager.
- Improve audit of antibiotic prescribing by using a recognised audit tool, sharing results of audits and learning points, and measuring progress through continued audit cycles.