Moor Park Dental Practice

We carried out this announced focused inspection on 20 March 2024 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 practice was meeting the legal requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated regulations.

The inspection was led by a Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspector who was supported by a specialist dental advisor.

To get to the heart of patients’ experiences of care and treatment, we asked the following 3 questions:

• Is it safe?
• Is it effective?
• Is it well-led?

These questions form the framework for the areas we look at during the inspection.

Our findings were:

• The dental clinic did not appear clean and tidy.
• The practice had instrument decontamination procedures which reflected published guidance.
• Staff knew how to deal with medical emergencies. Appropriate medicines were available. However, several items of equipment had expired.
• The practice did not have systems to identify and manage risks for patients, staff, equipment and the premises.
• Safeguarding processes were in place and staff knew their responsibilities for safeguarding vulnerable adults and children.
• The practice had staff recruitment procedures which reflected current legislation. However, these were not followed.
• Clinical staff provided patients’ care and treatment in line with current guidelines.
• Staff provided preventive care and supported patients to ensure better oral health.
• Staff felt involved, supported and worked as a team.
• Staff and patients were asked for feedback about the services provided.
• The practice had information governance arrangements.

Background

Moor Park Dental Practice is in Preston and provides NHS and private dental care and treatment for adults and children.

There is step free access at the rear of the practice for people who use wheelchairs and those with pushchairs. Car parking spaces, including dedicated parking for disabled people, are available at the rear of the practice.

The dental team includes 1 dentist, 5 dental nurses (of which 1 manages the practice and 3 are trainees), 1 dental therapist and 1 receptionist. The practice has 3 treatment rooms.

During the inspection we spoke with the dentist, 2 dental nurses, the dental therapist, the receptionist and the practice manager. We looked at practice policies, procedures and other records to assess how the service is managed.

The practice is open:

Monday to Friday from 9am to 5:30pm

We identified regulations the provider was not complying with. They must:

• Ensure care and treatment is provided in a safe way to patients.

• Establish effective systems and processes to ensure good governance in accordance with the fundamental standards of care.

Full details of the regulations the provider was not meeting are at the end of this report.

There were areas where the provider could make improvements. They should:

• Improve the practice's processes for the control and storage of substances hazardous to health identified by the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002, to ensure risk assessments are undertaken and the products are stored securely.

• Improve the security of NHS prescription pads in the practice and ensure there are systems in place to track and monitor their use.