We were able to speak with four people using the services of the practice during our inspection visit on 8 March 2012. This was in order to hear about their experiences.

One person we spoke with was attending the practice for their first time for an examination and consultation. Another had returned to continue with treatment started some years before but discontinued because of “the impact of the recession”. The other two we spoke with had both received treatment from the dentist but not on the day of the inspection. One had attended for a check up. The other had accompanied a friend they recommended the practice to and who was attending for their first time.

All of the people we spoke to expressed positive views about the dentist and the dental care they received. One person told us that over the years they had received treatment from a number of different dentists and this dentist was “outstanding”.

People said they had confidence in the dentist. They told us they were treated politely, were given advice about looking after their teeth and oral hygiene. They said that if they needed treatment the reason explained and that alternative treatment was available it was discussed with them. They told us they were given treatment plans which included the costs of treatment. They said that arranging appointments for both emergency and non-emergency treatment was very quick. One person said that their husband had needed urgent treatment and they were seen within hours.

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 24 November 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

Dr Christensen Dental Practice is a dental practice providing private treatment for both adults and children. The practice is based on an area of the owner’s residential accommodation in Bournemouth, a seaside town situated in south Dorset.

The practice has one dental treatment room based on the ground floor which is accessible to wheelchair users, prams and patients with limited mobility. The cleaning, sterilising and packing of dental instruments takes place within a designated area in the dental treatment room.

The practice employs one dentist, one dental nurse and a practice manager who also covers reception duties.

The practice’s opening hours are between 9am and 5.30pm Monday to Wednesday, 9am and 7pm Thursday and between 9am and 1pm on Friday.

There are arrangements in place to ensure patients receive urgent medical assistance when the practice is closed. This is provided by an out-of-hours service delivered by the provider and three other dentists who worked on a rota system.

Dr Henrik Christensen, the practice owner is registered as an individual and is legally responsible for making sure that the practice meets the requirements relating to safety and quality of care, as specified in the regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

We obtained the views of three patients on the day of our inspection.

Our key findings were:

• We found that the practice ethos was to provide patient centred dental care in a relaxed and friendly environment.
• Effective leadership was provided by the practice owner.
• Staff had been trained to handle emergencies and appropriate medicines and life-saving equipment were readily available in accordance with current guidelines.
• The practice appeared clean and well maintained.
• There was appropriate equipment for staff to undertake their duties, and equipment was well maintained.
• Infection control procedures were robust and the practice followed published guidance.
• The practice owner acted as the safeguarding lead and there were effective processes in place for safeguarding adults and children living in vulnerable circumstances.
• There was a process in place for the reporting and shared learning when untoward incidents occurred in the practice.
• The dentist provided dental care in accordance with current professional and National Institute for Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines.
• The service was aware of the needs of the local population and took these into account in how the practice was run.
• Patients could access treatment and urgent and emergency care when required.
• Staff received training appropriate to their roles and were supported in their continued professional development (CPD) by the practice owner.
• Staff we spoke with felt well supported by the practice owner and were committed to providing a quality service to their patients.
• Information from 28 completed Care Quality Commission (CQC) comment cards gave us a positive picture of a friendly, caring, professional and high quality service.

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

• Provide an annual statement in relation to infection prevention control required under The Health and Social Care Act 2008: ‘Code of Practice about the prevention and control of infections and related guidance
• Review the availability of hearing loops for patients who are hard of hearing.
• Review the storage of products identified under Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) 2002 Regulations to ensure they are stored securely.
• Review the storage of patient care records is in accordance with current legislation and guidance.
• Consider the provision of an external name plate providing details of the dentist working at the practice including their General Dental Council (GDC) registration number in accordance with GDC guidance issued in March 2012.