We carried out this announced inspection on 13 June 2018 under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. We planned the inspection to check whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated regulations. The inspection was led by a CQC inspector who was supported by a specialist dental adviser.

To get to the heart of patients’ experiences of care and treatment, we always ask the following five questions:

• Is it safe?

• Is it effective?

• Is it caring?

• Is it responsive to people’s needs?

• Is it well-led?

These questions form the framework for the areas we look at during the inspection.

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

Poulton Road Dental Clinic is in the centre of Wallasey and provides NHS and private dental care and treatment for patients of all ages.

There is level access to facilitate entrance to the practice for people who use wheelchairs and for pushchairs. Car parking is available near the practice.

The dental team includes two dentists, three dental nurses, one of whom is a trainee, a dental hygienist, and a patient treatment co-ordinator. The dental team is supported by a practice manager. The practice has three treatment rooms.

The practice is owned by an individual. They have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated regulations about how the practice is run.

We received feedback from 18 people during the inspection about the services provided. The feedback provided was positive about the practice.

During the inspection we spoke to one dentist, dental nurses and the practice manager. We looked at practice policies and procedures and other records about how the service is managed.

The practice is open:

Monday to Wednesday 9.00am to 6.15pm

Thursday and Friday 9.00am to 5.15pm.

Our key findings were:

• The practice was clean and well maintained.
• The practice had infection control procedures in place.
• Staff knew how to deal with medical emergencies. Appropriate medicines and equipment were available.
• The provider had some systems in place to manage risk. We found that further action could be taken to reduce some of these risks.
• The provider had safeguarding procedures in place and staff knew their responsibilities for safeguarding adults and children.
• The provider had staff recruitment procedures in place. Some of the required information was not available.
• Staff treated patients with dignity and respect and took care to protect their privacy and personal information.
• The appointment system took account of patients’ needs.
• The provider had a procedure in place for dealing with complaints. The practice dealt with complaints positively.
• The practice had a leadership and management structure and a culture of continuous improvement.
• Staff felt involved and supported and worked well as a team.
• The practice asked patients and staff for feedback about the services they provided.
• The provider had information governance arrangements in place.

There were areas where the provider could make improvements. They should:

• Review the practice’s systems for assessing, monitoring and mitigating the various risks arising from the undertaking of the regulated activities. In particular, ensure all actions from the Legionella risk assessment have been completed, ensure an induction process is in place for all new staff, ensure appropriate risk assessments are in place for all clinical staff where immunity to the Hepatitis B vaccination is low or unknown, and ensure the practice takes account of current guidance relating to infection prevention and control.
• Review the practice's recruitment procedures to ensure that appropriate checks are completed prior to new staff commencing employment at the practice and that accurate, complete and detailed records are maintained for all staff.
• Review the practice's protocols for assessing patients’ dental care and treatment needs, and delivering care and treatment, taking into account current guidance, and for the completion of dental records taking into account guidance provided by the Faculty of General Dental Practice regarding clinical examinations and record keeping.
• Review the practice's complaint handling procedures and ensure the complaints procedure contains sufficient information.
• Review the practice's protocols and procedures to ensure staff are up to date with their recommended training and their continuing professional development.