Thorley Dental Practice

Updated 19 August 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.

We carried out an announced, comprehensive inspection on 5 July 2016. The inspection team consisted of a Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspector and a dental specialist advisor.

Before the inspection we asked the practice for information to be sent, this included the complaints the practice had received in the last 12 months; their latest statement of purpose; the details of the staff members, their qualifications and proof of registration with their professional bodies. We spoke with four members of staff during the inspection.

We reviewed the practice’s policies, procedures and other documents. We received feedback from eight patients about the dental 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 19 August 2016

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 5 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

Thorley Dental Practice is a general dental practice situated in the Thorley district of Bishop’s Stortford, Hertfordshire. The premises are within a retail development, and have ample parking available in front of the practice.

The practice provides treatment on a private basis to adults and children. The premises consist of two treatment rooms, and waiting area/ reception area and a separate X-ray room.

The practice did not have a dedicated decontamination facility; cleaning and sterilisation of dental instruments was taking place in the treatment rooms. We saw builders’ plans for alteration to the premises that allowed for construction of a decontamination room. We were told that work would commence in the coming months.

The principal dentist is registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) as an individual. 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 practice was first registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in February 2012.

We received positive feedback from eight patients about the services provided. This was through CQC comment cards left at the practice prior to the inspection.

Our key findings were

• The practice was visibly clean and clutter free.

• Patients reported positive experiences at the practice and commented that they were treated with care and professionalism.

• The practice could normally arrange a routine appointment within a week and emergency appointments mostly on the same day.

• There was appropriate equipment for staff to undertake their duties, and equipment was well maintained.

• The practice did not have all the emergency equipment recommended by the Resuscitation Council UK for use in a medical emergency, although this was all purchased shortly following our inspection.

• The clinicians used nationally recognised guidelines in the care and treatment of patients.

There were areas where the provider could make improvements and should:

• Review the practice’s protocols for the use of rubber dam for root canal treatment giving due regard to guidelines issued by the British Endodontic Society.

• Review staff awareness of the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005 and ensure all staff are aware of their responsibilities under the Act as it relates to their role.

• Review the practice’s infection control procedures and protocols giving due regard to guidelines issued by the Department of Health - Health Technical Memorandum 01-05: Decontamination in primary care dental practices and The Health and Social Care Act 2008: ‘Code of Practice about the prevention and control of infections and related guidance.

• Review the practice’s protocols for recording in the patients’ dental care records or elsewhere the reason for taking the X-ray and quality of the X-ray giving due regard to the Ionising Radiation (Medical Exposure) Regulations (IR(ME)R) 2000, and review the use of rectangular collimation on the intra-oral X-ray machine to reduce the effective dose of radiation to the patient.

• Review the protocol for completing accurate, complete and detailed records relating to employment of staff. This includes making appropriate notes of verbal reference taken and ensuring recruitment checks, including references, are suitably obtained and recorded.