We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 11 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

Buckshaw Village Dental Practice is situated in a newly built modern health centre in Chorley. It provides mainly NHS dental treatments to patients of all ages but also offers private treatment options. The practice is located on the first floor of the building and access is available via stairs or a passenger lift. The premises are designed to support access for wheelchair users. There is disabled parking and adapted WC facilities. The practice has two surgeries, a decontamination suite and a patient waiting area.

There were two dentists, a visiting implantologist, three dental nurses, a trainee dental nurse, a dental hygiene therapist, a receptionist, a trainee receptionist and a practice manager.

The opening hours are Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 8.30am to 5.15pm, Tuesday and Thursday from 8.30am to 6.30pm and Saturday 9.00am to 1.00pm.

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.

Thirteen CQC comment cards were completed by patients as part of the inspection. The feedback was all positive in relation to treatment and care. Comments included that staff provided compassionate, friendly and professional care in an environment that was clean and welcoming. All discussions about treatment options, including the associated costs were explained thoroughly.

Our key findings were:

• The practice was uncluttered, clean and hygienic.
• Infection control procedures were conducted in accordance with published guidelines.
• The practice had systems in place to assess and manage risks to patients and staff including infection prevention and control, health and safety and the management of medical emergencies.
• There were sufficient numbers of suitably qualified staff to meet the needs of patients.
• Oral health advice and treatment were provided in-line with the ‘Delivering Better Oral Health’ toolkit (DBOH).
• Treatment was well planned and provided in line with current best practice guidelines.
• Patients received clear explanations about their proposed treatment, costs, benefits and risks and were involved in making decisions about it.
• Patients were treated with dignity, respect and confidentiality was maintained.
• The appointment system met patient’s needs.
• The practice had a complaints system in place.
• The practice was well-led and staff felt involved, supported and worked well as a team.
• Effective governance systems were established at the practice.
• The practice sought feedback from staff and patients about the services provided.
• There were clearly defined leadership roles within the practice.

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

• Review and develop the local rules to ensure they are specific to the practice and ensure that recommendations from routine tests are implemented without delay.
• Review and develop the process for monitoring referrals to other health professionals.

Patients were well informed and able to express their views. Patients told us they understood the choices available to them and were involved in decisions about their care and treatment. We were told; “Everyone is very kind.” And “I have had to have a series of treatments but it has all been explained to me.”

Policies, good practice and staff training helped to ensure that patients received effective and safe treatment.

All areas of this this newly built modern dental practice were clean and hygienic. Staff had completed decontamination and infection control training. The practice had an infection control policy, plus regular audits took place. These measures helped to protect patients from risks associated with cross infection.

The recruitment and selection processes were not effective. The lack of thorough checks could have resulted in appointing someone of poor character or lacking the necessary attributes for the post.

Staff received a good level of support and training. Staff meetings took place. We were told “Anything we bring up gets solved.” And “Everything raised is taken seriously and sorted out.”

The practice had systems in place to monitor its own standards of service delivery and to gain feedback from patients. This meant the practice was able to identify, monitor and manage risks.