We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 12 January 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

Denticheck, Newark is situated on the ground floor of premises close to Newark town centre. The practice was registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in October 2011. The practice provides regulated dental services to patients in the Newark area of north Nottinghamshire. The practice provides NHS dental treatment. Services provided include general dentistry, dental hygiene, crowns and bridges, and root canal treatment.

The practice is open Mondays to Thursdays: 9am to 5pm and Fridays: 8:45am to 2:30pm. The practice is closed at the weekend. Access for urgent treatment outside of opening hours is by ringing the 111 telephone number.

The practice manager 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.

The practice has five dentists, four dental nurses, two receptionists and one practice manager.

We received positive feedback from 34 patients about the services provided. This was through CQC comment cards left at the practice prior to the inspection and by speaking with patients in the practice. All of the feedback was positive.

Our key findings were:

• The practice recorded accidents, significant events and complaints, and learning points were identified and shared with staff
• When necessary apologies were given to patients when things had gone wrong.
• All staff had received whistle blowing training and were aware of these procedures and how to use them. All staff had a copy of the staff handbook which contained the whistleblowing policy.
• Patients spoke very positively about the dental service they received, and several recounted positive experiences they had had at the practice.
• Patients said they were treated with dignity and respect at the practice.
• Records showed there were sufficient numbers of suitably qualified staff to meet the needs of patients.
• Staff had been trained to deal with medical emergencies.
• Emergency medicines, an automated external defibrillator (AED), and oxygen were readily available. An AED is a portable electronic device that automatically diagnoses life threatening irregularities of the heart and delivers an electrical shock to attempt to restore a normal heart rhythm.
• The practice followed the relevant guidance from the Department of Health's: ‘Health Technical Memorandum 01-05 (HTM 01-05) for infection control in most areas. However, the six monthly audits for infection control did not follow the guidance.
• Patients’ care and treatment was planned and delivered in consultation with the patient and recall intervals were in line with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance. Patients said they were involved in making decisions about their treatment, and patient care records reflected this.
• Options for treatment were identified, explored and discussed with patients.

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

• Review the audit tool used for infection control and follow the HTM 01-05 guidance which says: “the use of the IPS/DH audit tool is strongly recommended.”

• Contact the NHS Choices website to ensure that information on the website accurately reflects the practice.

• Review how audits are carried out at the practice, to ensure that analysis of information is clear and leads to improvements in the service.

We spoke with three patients who were attending an appointment with their Dentist. They told us that they felt fully involved in their dental care regime and felt the staff employed at the surgery would always respect and value their views and opinions.

Patients told us that they felt the staff were very competent and delivered the service in a professional manner. They also told us that they felt safe in the surgery and confident in reporting any issues of concern to the registered manager.

Patients told us they thought all areas within the surgery were maintained to a good standard of hygiene and cleanliness.