We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 29 September 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

Mydentist - Park Avenue - Poynton is situated in Poynton, Cheshire. It offers mainly NHS dental treatment to patients of all ages but also offer private dental treatments. The services include preventative advice and treatment and routine restorative dental care.

The practice has four surgeries, a decontamination suite, a large waiting area and a reception area. All of the facilities are on the ground floor of the premises along with toilets. There is ramp access to the premises.

There are four dentists, one dental hygienist, five dental nurses (one of whom is a trainee), two receptionists (one of whom is a qualified dental nurse) and a practice manager. They also employ a domestic cleaner.

The opening hours are Monday to Thursday from 9-00am to 5-30pm and Friday from 9-00am to 5-00pm.

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.

During the inspection we spoke with three patients who used the service and reviewed 45 completed CQC comment cards. The patients were positive about the care and treatment they received at the practice. Comments included staff were friendly, considerate and professional. They also commented the environment was clean and hygienic.

Our key findings were:

• The practice appeared clean and hygienic.
• 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.
• Treatment was provided in line with current best practice guidelines including the Faculty of General Dental Practice (FGDP) and National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).
• 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 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 was an areawhere the provider could make improvements and should:

• Review the practice’s system for completing the monthly Legionella water temperature checks.