Background to this inspection
Updated
23 December 2016
We carried out a follow up inspection of this service under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. The inspection was planned to check whether the provider had completed the requirements identified during the comprehensive inspection carried out in March 2016. The checks made were to ensure the provider was now meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008.
This inspection was undertaken by a CQC Lead Inspector who had remote access to a dental specialist advisor on 22 November 2016.
To get to the heart of patients’ experiences of care and treatment, we ask the following five questions:
At this review we asked the question - Is it safe? This was to follow up the concerns identified at the last inspection.
Updated
23 December 2016
We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection at Allandale Dental Practice on 15 March 2016 and at this time breaches of legal requirements were found. After the comprehensive inspection the practice wrote to us and told us that they would take action to meet the following legal requirements set out in the Health and Social Care Act (HSCA) 2008:
Regulation 12 HSCA (RA) Regulations 2014 Safe care and treatment
Regulation 13 HSCA (RA) Regulations 2014 Safeguarding service users from abuse and improper treatment
Regulation 19 HSCA (RA) Regulations 2014 Fit and proper persons employed
On 22 November 2016 we carried out a follow up inspection of this service under section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. The inspection was carried out to check whether the provider had completed the improvements needed and identified during the comprehensive inspection in March 2016. This report only covers our findings in relation to those requirements. You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Allandale Dental Practice on our website at cqc.org.uk
Background
The practice is situated in Hoole, Chester and has a reception/waiting room, a treatment room, a decontamination area and a storage area/administrative office. The practice has one dentist and a dental nurse. The practice provides primary dental services to private patients. The practice is open as follows:
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 9am – 5pm
The principal dentist is the registered provider. A registered provider is a person who is registered as a ‘registered person’ with the Care Quality Commission. 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.
CQC inspected the practice on 15 March 2016 and asked the provider to make improvements in relation to:
- Ensuring the practice's recruitment policy and procedures were suitable and the recruitment arrangements are in line with Schedule 3 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 to ensure necessary employment checks were in place for all staff and the required specified information in respect of persons employed by the practice was held.
- Ensuring there were effective systems in place to assess the risk of and prevent, detect and control the spread of infections including a current legionella risk assessment, a cleaning schedule that was monitored and followed National Patient Safety Association (NPSA) guidance on the cleaning of dental premises, sharps handling procedures and protocols and hand wash to include wall mounted liquid hand wash dispensers were provided.
- Ensuring there were arrangements in place for receiving and responding to patient safety alerts, recalls and rapid response reports issued from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and through the Central Alerting System (CAS), as well as from other relevant bodies such as, Public Health England (PHE).
- Ensuring the practice’s safeguarding policies and staff training covers both children and adults and all staff are trained to an appropriate level for their role and aware of their responsibilities.
- Ensuring electrical safety tests and pressure vessel scheme of examinations are in place and carried out at the required intervals.
- Ensuring that appropriate fire safety training is carried out annually.
We checked these areas as part of this focussed inspection and found these had been resolved.
The findings of this review were as follows:
We found that this practice was now providing safe care in accordance with the relevant regulations.
- Staff working at the practice had a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check undertaken. However this was a basic level disclosure. Clinical staff roles should have an enhanced level disclosure undertaken appropriate to their role.
- A cleaning schedule was in place and monitored,
- A Legionella risk assessment had been undertaken and processes were in place to minimise the risk posed by the water systems.
- Wall mounted liquid hand wash dispensers were in place.
- Arrangements were in place to receive and act on patient safety alerts.
- The safeguarding policy and procedures had been revised and reissued and reflected current guidance. Staff had undertaken safeguarding training in relation to their role.
- Electrical safety tests, pressure vessel examinations, fire training and fire drills were now in place.
We found that the practice had acted upon other recommendations made at the previous inspection to improve the service and care. For example:
- Information on how to complain was included in the practice information leaflet.
- A business continuity plan had been implemented.
- The practice computers were password protected.
- A translation policy was in place
- An automated external defibrillator (AED) was in place and checked on a regular basis to monitor its working order
There were areas where the provider could make improvements and should:
Review the recruitment policy to include an enhanced level of DBS check for all clinical staff roles.