We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 21 December 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

Oasis Dental Care is located in ground floor premises situated in the west of Chesterfield in North Derbyshire. There are four treatment rooms. The practice provides mostly NHS dental treatments (80%). There is a free car park for dental patients outside the practice.

The practice provides regulated dental services to both adults and children. Services provided include general dentistry, dental hygiene, crowns and bridges, and root canal treatment.

The practice’s opening hours are – Monday and Tuesday: 8am to 8pm; Wednesday and Thursday: 8am to 7pm; Friday 8am to 5:15pm.

Access for urgent treatment outside of opening hours is by telephoning the practice and following the instructions on the answerphone message. Alternatively patients can telephone the NHS 111 telephone number. An NHS out-of-hours dentistry service also operates locally and the contact details are displayed outside the front door.

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 is registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) as an organisation.

The practice has three dentists; one orthodontist; three hygienists; ten qualified dental nurses; one receptionist; and one practice manager.

Before the inspection we sent CQC comments cards to the practice for patients to complete to tell us about their experience of the practice and during the inspection we spoke with patients. We received responses from nine patients through both comment cards and by speaking with them during the inspection. Those patients provided positive feedback about the services the practice provides.

Our key findings were:

• The premises were visibly clean and there were systems and processes in place to maintain the cleanliness.
• The systems to record accidents, significant events and complaints, learning points from these were recorded and used to make improvements.
• Records showed there were sufficient numbers of suitably qualified staff to meet the needs of patients.
• There were effective systems at the practice related to the Control of Substance Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations 2002.
• The consent policy did not make reference to the Mental Capacity Act 2005.
• Patients said they had no problem getting an appointment that suited their needs.
• Patients were able to access emergency treatment when they were in pain.
• Patients provided positive feedback about their experiences at the practice. Patients said they were treated with dignity and respect.
• Dental care records did not always demonstrate that the dentists involved patients in discussions about treatment options.
• Patients’ confidentiality was protected within the practice.
• The records showed that apologies had been given for any concerns or upset that patients had experienced at the practice.
• The practice followed the relevant guidance from the Department of Health's: ‘Health Technical Memorandum 01-05 (HTM 01-05) for infection control with regard to cleaning and sterilizing dental instruments.
• There was a whistleblowing policy accessible to all staff, who were aware of procedures to follow if they had any concerns about a colleague’s practice.
• The practice had the necessary equipment for staff to deal with medical emergencies, and staff had been trained how to use that equipment. This included an automated external defibrillator, oxygen and emergency medicines.

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

• Review the consent policy to include the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005. This will increase staff awareness of the requirements of the MCA and ensure all staff are aware of their responsibilities under the Act as it relates to the consent process.

• Review the practice's protocols for completion of dental records giving due regard to guidance provided by the Faculty of General Dental Practice regarding clinical examinations and record keeping. Particularly in respect of recording discussions with patients about the different treatment options.

• Review the practice’s audit protocols of various aspects of the service, check all audits have documented learning points and the resulting improvements can be demonstrated.

People we spoke to said that they received care which met their needs and felt staff communicated with them well. They also said that they felt the practice was clean and that staff used personal protective equipment to ensure hygienic practice.