We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 20 October 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 Windsor Court is situated in Leeds and provides dental services to both NHS and private patients from the first floor in commercial premises.

The practice has three surgeries and is located in a shopping precinct in central Morley which has free parking and convenient local bus services.

There are three dentists, three dental nurses who also carry out reception duties and two trainee dental nurses. The clinical team is supported by a practice manager and a team of staff at Mydentist head office.

The practice is open from 8.30am to 5pm Monday to Thursday and 8.30am to 2pm on alternate Fridays, patients can access care from another Mydentist practice in Morley on Friday afternoons if necessary. For urgent care out of hours, patients are directed to the NHS 111 service that triage the call and pass the details to Local Care Direct who is the out of hour’s provider.

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 manager is also responsible for another dental practice located nearby.

During the inspection we spoke with three patients and received 45 CQC comment cards which were completed by patients prior to our inspection. All of the comment cards which were positive about the standard of care received. Comments included that staff were caring and friendly. Several patients commented that their concerns were listened to and that the dentists took time to explain treatment options.

Our key findings were:

• The practice was visibly clean and uncluttered.
• The practice had systems in place to assess and manage risks to patients and staff including health and safety and the management of medical emergencies.
• There were policies and protocols in place for the decontamination of equipment. However, we found that these were not always followed.
• Staff were qualified and had received training and support appropriate to their roles.
• Patients were involved in making decisions about their treatment and were given clear explanations about their proposed treatment including costs, benefits and risks.
• Dental care records 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).
• There was a warm and welcoming feel to the practice and we observed that patients were treated with kindness and respect by staff.
• The practice had a complaints system in place and there was an openness and transparency in how these were dealt with.
• Patients were able to make routine and emergency appointments when needed.
• 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 appropriate equipment for staff to undertake their duties, and equipment was well maintained.

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

• Review the practice’s infection control procedures and protocols giving due regard to guidelines issued by the Department of Health - Health Technical Memorandum 01-05: Decontamination in primary care dental practices and The Health and Social Care Act 2008: ‘Code of Practice about the prevention and control of infections and related guidance.

People's privacy and dignity were respected. We observed staff treating people with respect, being polite and courteous.

People’s views and experiences were taken into account in the way the service was provided and delivered in relation to their care. One person told us, “They talk and explain things to me.” Another person said, “They asked me what colour shading I wanted, they didn’t just decide themselves. It was my choice.”

People experienced care, treatment and support that met their needs and protected their rights. We spoke with two people and they told us that they were happy with the service they received. We looked at the feedback from the survey questionnaires which the practice sent to people from August 2013. These showed that people reported high levels of satisfaction with the practice.

People were treated in a clean, hygienic environment. People we spoke with told us that they had no concerns with the hygiene within the practice. One person told us, “It seems clean to me.” Another person said, “They always wear gloves and have a mask on.”

People were cared for, or supported by suitably qualified, skilled and experienced staff. Appropriate checks had been undertaken before staff were employed by the practice.

The provider had an effective system to regularly assess and monitor the quality of service that people received.