We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 10 May 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

Glen Lea Dental Suite is situated in Wetherby, West Yorkshire. 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 currently has three surgeries, a decontamination room, a waiting area and a reception area. All facilities are on the ground floor of the premises. There are accessible toilet facilities on the ground floor of the premises. The practice is currently undergoing renovation to add an extra surgery and a dental laboratory.

There are four dentists, one dental hygiene therapist, six dental nurses (including one trainee), one receptionist and a practice co-ordinator.

The opening hours are Monday to Wednesday and Friday from 8-30am to 6-00pm, Thursday from 8-30am to 7-00pm and Saturday from 8-30am to 1-00pm.

One of the practice owners 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.

During the inspection we received feedback from 45 patients. The patients were positive about the care and treatment they received at the practice. Comments included that the premises were clean and hygienic and that staff were friendly, reassuring and helpful. Patients also commented that the advice provided was genuine and pertinent.

Our key findings were:

• The practice had systems in place to assess and manage risks to patients and staff including infection prevention, control and health and safety and the management of medical emergencies.
• Staff were qualified and had received training appropriate to their roles.
• Dental care records were detailed and showed that treatment was planned in line with current best practice guidelines.
• 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.
• 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 clearly defined leadership roles within the practice and staff told us that they felt supported, appreciated and comfortable to raise concerns or make suggestions.

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

• Review the arrangement for the disposal of out of date medical emergency drugs.
• Review the process for documenting where risks and benefits have been discussed with regards to treatment options.

We spoke with three people who used the service. We also looked at surveys, completed by people who used the service.

People said they were very happy with the quality of care and dental treatment offered by the dental practice. People said they were fully involved in decisions about their treatments and felt they got good clear explanations. They said they felt safe. Other comments included:

“Very good explanations, feel fully informed.”

“All options explained in a way that you can understand.”

“(Name of dentist) is fantastic, just wonderful, takes time and is very calm.”

“This is the best dentist I have ever had.”

We saw staff treating people with respect, being polite and courteous. We spoke with five members of staff, this included, dentists, the Practice Manager and dental nurses who were all able to explain and give examples of how they respected people’s dignity, privacy and confidentiality.

Staff working in the practice said they were aware of what action they should take if they suspected any abuse or a patient made an allegation of abuse. The practice had a lead person who took responsibility for safeguarding matters.

People were cared for, or supported by, suitably qualified, skilled and experienced staff.

There were effective systems in place to make sure the practice was working safely and that they considered the opinions and suggestions of people who used the service.