We carried out an unannounced responsive inspection on 5 December 2016 to ask the practice the following key question; Are services safe.

Our findings were:

Are services safe?

We found that this practice was providing safe care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Background

Established over 10 years ago, Stanhope Dental Health Centre is located in a purpose-built ground floor premises within a health centre. The practice provides NHS and private treatment to patients of all ages. There is one treatment room with a decontamination area within and a waiting area. The dental reception is located within the Health centre main reception area.

Access for wheelchair users or pushchairs is possible from two ground floor entrances, both which lead into the spacious reception and waiting area. Ample car parking spaces are available at the rear of the practice.

The dental team is comprised of three dentists, four dental nurses, a dental hygienist, a dental hygiene and therapist, one receptionist and a practice manager.

The practice is open:

Monday 08:30 - 17:00

Tuesday 08:45 - 17:00

Wednesday 08:30 - 17:00

Thursday 08:45 - 15:00

A dental hygienist and dental therapist worked alternate Fridays

The principal dentist is registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) as an individual registered person. 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.

Our key findings were:

• The practice was visibly clean and uncluttered.
• There were sufficient numbers of suitably qualified staff to meet the needs of patients.
• Infection control procedures were in accordance with the published guidelines.
• Oral health advice and treatment were provided in-line with the ‘Delivering Better Oral Health’ toolkit (DBOH).
• The practice sought feedback from staff and patients about the services they provided.
• There were clearly defined leadership roles within the practice and staff felt supported at all levels.

On the day of our inspection the one dental surgery within the practice was in use.

We found patients who used the service were given appropriate information and support regarding their care or treatment. We spoke with four patients in the waiting room within the practice, both before and after their appointments. Everybody we spoke with talked positively about the care and treatment they had received at the practice. This included being given sufficient information to be able to make an informed decision about any treatment required. Comments included “I always come here and am happy with my dentist”, “I ask to see the same one (dentist)” and “When you phone up, they are very, very helpful.”

Patient’s needs were assessed and care and treatment was planned and delivered in line with their needs. If patient’s required treatment, we saw they were provided with a treatment plan which included a breakdown of costs.

Staff were aware of their roles and responsibilities with regards to protecting patient’s from abuse or the risk of abuse.

One patient said “The cleanliness is very good” and another patient said “It (the practice) is all nice and clean.” We also saw feedback from patients in a survey completed in October 2013. A total of 20 patients had been surveyed and we saw all of the respondents rated the cleanliness as very good (the most positive answer available).

We saw records of cleaning spot-checks completed on a weekly basis. This included checks of the decontamination equipment, dental surgeries and equipment within them, and floors and sinks. Overall we found the provider ensured patients were treated in a safe, clean environment.

People said they were very happy with the way they were treated by the staff employed by the practice. Comments included “They’ve always treated us well, up here” and “The staff are brilliant – always really friendly and helpful.”

The staff we spoke with told us they felt supported in their roles. We found staff were provided with training and support to ensure they were competent to carry out their roles.