We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 17 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

The practice offers a wide range of NHS and private dental care for its patient population. The practice has modern facilities with three dental surgeries, all fitted with up to date dental equipment and dental materials.

Little Lever Dental Practice has three dentists, a therapist and a hygienist who are supported by a dental nursing team, a practice manager and a receptionist. At the time of our inspection there were two dentists and one therapist supported by dental nurses on duty to meet the needs of the patient population. The practice is also a training practice that works closely with the University of Manchester. They were two dental nursing cadets on duty at the time of our inspection.

The principal dentist 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 is open as follows::

Monday 08:00 – 13:00 14:00 – 18:30

Tuesday 08:00 – 13:00 14:00 – 18:00

Wednesday 08:00 – 13:00 14:00 – 18:00

Thursday 08:00 – 13:00 14:00 – 18:00

Friday 09:00 – 13:00 14:00 – 17:00

Patients can get treatment on a Saturday by special appointment.

We spoke with two patients who used the service on the day of our inspection and reviewed eight CQC comment cards that had been completed by patients prior to the inspection. The patients we spoke with were very complimentary about the service. They told us they found the staff to be extremely friendly and welcoming and felt they were treated with dignity and respect. The comments on the CQC comment cards were also very complimentary about the staff and the service provided.

Our key findings were:

• There were systems in place for staff to report incidents. There were sufficient staff on duty to deliver the service. There was enough equipment available for staff to undertake their duties and we saw the premises was maintained to a good standard and clean and tidy.

• Patient’s needs were assessed and care was planned and delivered in line with current guidance. This included the promotion of good oral health. We saw evidence staff had received training appropriate to their roles and further training needs were identified and planned through the appraisal process.

• The patients we spoke with and all the comment cards we reviewed indicated that patients were consistently treated with kindness and respect by staff. It was reported that communication with patients and their families, access to the service and to the dentists, was good. Patients reported good access to the practice with emergency appointments available the same day.

• The practice had procedures in place to take into account any comments, concerns or complaints that were made to improve the practice.

• The practice had an accessible and visible leadership team. Staff on duty told us they felt supported by the leadership team. Staff reported that patients were at the heart of the practice. This included the promotion of good oral health. Staff had received training appropriate to their roles and there was an effective appraisal system in place.

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

• Review the National Colour Coding Scheme for cleaning materials (such as mops) in order to minimise the risks of cross contamination.
• Ensure policies and procedures are dated when reviewed and the next review date added.