Mydentist - Bath Road - Peasedown St John

Updated 9 February 2017

We carried out an announced, responsive follow up inspection on 23 November 2016. The inspection took place over one day. The inspection was led by a Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspector with remote dental specialist advice.

We conducted a tour of the practice and looked at the decontamination and governance processes as the practice had been non-compliant in these areas at the last inspection. During our inspection visit, we reviewed policy documents, staff records. We spoke with three patients, five members of staff and the practice manager.

We observed the dental nurses carrying out decontamination procedures of dental instruments and also observed staff interacting with patients in the waiting area. Patients gave positive feedback about their experience at the practice.

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 9 February 2017

We carried out an announced responsive follow up inspection on 23 November 2016 to ask the practice the following key questions; Are services safe and are they well-led?

Our findings were:

Are services safe?

We found this practice was providing safe care in accordance with the relevant regulations

Are services well-led?

We found this practice was providing well-led care in accordance with the relevant regulations

Background

Peasedown Dental Practice is a very small building with two dental treatment rooms and a waiting/ reception area located in the village of Peasedown St John, near Bath. It provides general dentistry, including endodontics and restorative services, to NHS patients, but will also treat private patients. The service has two treatment rooms and treats both adults and children.

The practice has two dentists and two locum dentists, who cover for one of the dentists when they are not in the practice, four qualified dental nurses; a practice manager and two part time receptionists.

There was a practice manager in post who is in the process of applying 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 practice is open Monday to Thursday from 8.45am until 1.00pm and 2.00pm until 5.00pm; Friday 08.45am -1.00pm only.

Since the last inspection the practice had been refurbished throughout to address the environmental and risk areas. The provider had also appointed a new practice manager who had implemented governance systems and processes and worked with the provider to improve the management of the service.

At the last inspection we found the practice was non-compliant and had issued them with requirement notices in respect of staffing and good governance.

We carried out an announced responsive follow up inspection on 23 November 2016 to check the provider had taken action to address the areas of non-compliance and was now providing a safe and quality monitored service. The inspection took place over one day and was carried out by a lead inspector with remote specialist dental advice.

We obtained feedback about the practice from three patients we spoke with during the inspection. The patients we spoke with were very complimentary about the service. They told us they liked the newly decorated practice and staff changes. They reported they had experienced good care from friendly and welcoming staff and felt they were treated with dignity and respect.

Our key findings were:

• The patients we spoke with indicated they were treated with kindness and respect by staff and received good care in a clean environment from a helpful practice team. We observed good communication with patients and their families.

• Premises appeared well maintained and visibly clean. Good cleaning and infection control systems were in place. The treatment rooms were well organised and equipped, with good light and ventilation

• The practice was meeting the Essential Quality Requirements of the Department of Health guidance, namely 'Health Technical Memorandum 01-05 - Decontamination in primary care dental practices (HTM 01-05)' national guidance for infection prevention control in dental practices.

• The dental practice had effective clinical governance and risk management processes in place; including health and safety and the management of medical emergencies. There were systems in place to learn and improve from incidents or healthcare alerts.

• The practice had a comprehensive system to monitor and continually improve the quality of the service; including through a detailed programme of clinical and non-clinical audits.

• There were systems in place to check all equipment had been serviced regularly, including the air compressor, autoclave, fire extinguishers, oxygen cylinder and the X-ray equipment.

• Appropriate recruitment processes and checks were undertaken in line with the relevant recruitment regulations and guidance for the protection of patients.

• There were sufficient numbers of suitably qualified staff who maintained the necessary skills and competence to support the needs of patients.

• Staff were supported to maintain their continuing professional development; had undertaken training appropriate to their roles and felt supported in their work.

• The practice had a new proactive practice manager who provided accessible and visible leadership and clear means of sharing information with staff. Staff were up to date with current guidelines and supported in their professional development.