Archived: Calder Dental Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 28 May 2015.

The practice has one dentist who is supported by a practice manager, three dental nurses and one dental hygienist. The dental nurses also cover receptionist duties.

The practice provides primary dental services to NHS patients (adults and children) and private patients (adults only). The practice is open Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday 8.30am – 5.30pm and on Monday 9am-6pm. The practice is also open on a Saturday morning by appointment only, approximately once every 2 months. We were told that the practice will open outside of normal working hours to accommodate patients requiring emergency treatment.

The dentist is the registered provider for the practice. 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.

We viewed three CQC comment cards that were completed on the day of our visit, about the services provided. Each of the comment cards reflected positive comments about the staff and the services. Patients commented that the practice was clean and hygienic and they found the staff very friendly and professional. They said explanations were thorough, the quality of the dentistry was excellent and that all staff made the dental experience as comfortable as possible.

The registered provider is providing care which is safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led and the regulations were being met.

Our key findings were:

• The practice recorded and analysed significant events and complaints and cascaded learning to staff.
• Where mistakes had been made patients were notified about the outcome of any investigation and given a suitable apology.
• Staff had received safeguarding and whistleblowing training and knew the processes to follow to raise any concerns.
• There were sufficient numbers of suitably qualified staff to meet the needs of patients.
• Staff had been trained to handle emergencies and appropriate medicines and life-saving equipment were readily available.
• Infection control procedures were in place and the practice followed published guidance.
• Patients’ care and treatment was planned and delivered in line with evidence based guidelines, best practice and current legislation.
• Patients received clear explanations about their proposed treatment, costs, benefits and risks and were involved in making decisions about it.
• Patients were treated with dignity and respect and confidentiality was maintained.
• The appointment system met the needs of patients and they were seen punctually.
• There were systems in place to record significant events, safety issues and complaints and to cascade information to staff.
• The practice was well-led and staff felt involved and worked as a team.
• Governance systems were effective and there was a range of clinical and non-clinical audits to monitor the quality of services.
• The practice sought feedback from staff and patients about the services they provided.

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

• Provide an oxygen face mask suitable for use with children as part of the emergency equipment. Regularly check the resuscitation equipment and maintain records of this.
• Date local policies and procedures to show when they were compiled and next due for review.
• Maintain a record of the weekly checks made of the fire fighting and detection equipment.
• Maintain a record should a verbal reference be obtained for job applicants.