We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 27 November 2015 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

Cleethorpes Dental Practice Limited is situated in Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire. It offers mainly NHS treatment to patients of all ages but also offers private dental treatments. The services include preventative advice and treatment, routine restorative dental care and dental implants.

The practice has three surgeries, a decontamination room, one waiting area and a reception area. The reception area, waiting area and one treatment room are on the ground floor. The other two treatment rooms are on the first floor.

There are three dentists, a dental hygienist, three dental nurses and a receptionist who also works as a personal assistant (PA) for the practice owner.

The opening hours are Monday to Friday 9-00am to 5-00pm.

The practice owner is 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.

On the day of inspection 35 patients provided feedback. The patients were positive about the care and treatment they received at the practice. They told us they were treated with dignity and respect in a clean and tidy environment, informed of treatment options, were able to make appointments in a timely manner and were made to feel comfortable and relaxed.

Our key findings were:

• The practice had some systems in place to assess and manage risks to patients and staff, including infection prevention and control, health and safety and the management of medical emergencies.
• Staff received training appropriate to their roles.
• Patients were involved in making decisions about their treatment and were given clear explanations about their proposed treatment including costs, benefits and risks.
• Oral health advice and treatment were provided in-line with the ‘Delivering Better Oral Health’ toolkit (DBOH).
• We observed that patients were treated with kindness and respect by staff. Staff ensured there was sufficient time to explain fully the care and treatment they were providing in a way patients understood.
• Patients were able to make routine and emergency appointments when needed.
• The practice had a complaints system in place and there was an openness and transparency in how these were dealt with.

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

• Aim to document somewhere in the dental care records when a patients’ medical history has been checked.
• Aim to follow the Faculty of General Dental Practice (FGDP) guidelines with regards to the taking of X-rays.
• Aim to organise more regular (formal) staff meetings.
• Aim to document when the COSHH folder is reviewed.
• Aim to get a new Legionella risk assessment carried out.
• Aim to make alterations to the ground floor toilet to make it more disabled friendly.

People we spoke with were positive about the care and treatment they had received. They told us the dentist discussed their treatment with them, gave an estimate of its costs and any alternative treatments that were available. A copy of the treatment plan was given to people prior to their treatment.

We found people's diversity; values and human rights were respected. We observed staff treating people with respect, being polite and courteous. This was confirmed by all the people we spoke with who used the service.

There were effective systems in place to reduce the risk and spread of infection. People told us the practice was always clean and staff wore protective clothing when providing treatment.

People were cared for by staff who were supported to deliver care and treatment safely and to an appropriate standard. Records and staff comments demonstrated that staff had received appropriate training to enable them to meet people's needs.

The provider had an effective system to regularly assess and monitor the quality of service that people received. The practice had a complaints policy and took account of complaints and comments to improve the service. People who used the service, their representatives and staff were asked for their views about their care and treatment and they were acted on. We found results from a recent survey were very positive.