Archived: Tooth Booth Chichester

Updated 17 May 2017

Background to this inspection

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.

We carried out an inspection of the practice over two days, 23 January 2017 and 4 May 2017. Our inspection was carried out by a lead inspector and a dental specialist adviser.

During our inspection visit, we reviewed policy documents, practice records and dental treatment records. We obtained the views of six members of staff.

We conducted a tour of the practice and looked at the storage arrangements for emergency medicines and equipment. We reviewed the practice's decontamination procedures of dental instruments, the systems that supported the patient dental care records and also observed staff interacting with patients in the waiting area.

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 inspections.

Updated 17 May 2017

We carried out an inspection of this practice over two days, 23 January 2017 and 2 May 2017 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

Tooth Booth Chichester is a dental practice providing NHS and private treatment for both adults and children. The practice is based in a converted commercial property in the centre of Chichester, West Sussex.

The practice has two dental treatment rooms both of which are based on the ground floor; and a separate decontamination room used for cleaning, sterilising and packing dental instruments. The practice is accessible to wheelchair users, prams and patients with limited mobility.

The practice employs two dentists, one dental nurse, two part time receptionists, a practice manager, and a cleaner; and a part time dental hygienist who provides private dental hygiene services.

The practice’s opening hours are between 8.30am and 5.30pm from Monday to Friday, between 9am and 4pm on Saturdays.

There are arrangements in place to ensure patients receive urgent medical assistance when the practice is closed. This is provided by an out-of-hours service.

There was no registered manager at the time of our inspection at this location. We were told that the current practice manager was going through the CQC registration process to become 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 inspection took place over two days and was carried out by a CQC inspector and a dental specialist advisor. We did not receive any completed CQC comment cards left at the practice for patients. On the days of the inspection there were no patients we could speak with.

Our key findings were:

• The practice appeared visibly clean.
• The practice had infection control procedures which followed published guidance.
• Staff knew how to deal with emergencies. Appropriate medicines and life-saving equipment were available.
• The practice had systems to help them manage risk.
• The practice had suitable safeguarding processes and staff knew their responsibilities for safeguarding adults and children.
• We found that the practice provided patient centred dental care in a relaxed and friendly environment.
• The practice had processes in place for safeguarding adults and children living in vulnerable circumstances.
• There was a process in place for the reporting of untoward incidents that occurred in the practice. Although the system for shared learning resulting from these incidents could be improved.
• The clinical staff provided patients’ care and treatment in line with current guidelines.
• Staff treated patients with dignity and respect and took care to protect their privacy and personal information.
• The appointment system met patients’ needs.
• The practice asked patients for feedback about the services they provided.