We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 16 August 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

Corner House Dental Practice is a large and well-established practice that provides mostly private treatment to adults and children. There are five dentists, two hygienists and nine dental nurses who are supported by appropriate numbers of administrative staff. The practice has six dental treatment rooms, a staff room, a large reception area and two separate waiting areas.

The practice is open from 8.30am to 5.00pmMonday to Fridays.

Before the inspection we sent comment cards to the practice for patients to complete to tell us about their experience of the practice. We received feedback from 24 patients, which provided a positive view of the practice and its staff.

Our key findings were:

• The practice had systems to help ensure patient safety. These included safeguarding children and adults from abuse, responding to medical emergencies and managing radiographs.

• There was an effective system in place for reporting and recording significant events.

• There were robust arrangements for identifying, recording and managing risks and implementing mitigating actions.

• Recruitment procedures were robust and ensured only suitable staff were employed.

• The practice had good facilities and was well equipped to treat patients and meet their needs.

• There were sufficient numbers of suitably qualified and competent staff. Members of the dental team were up-to-date with their continuing professional development and supported to meet the requirements of their professional registration.

• The practice listened to its patients and staff and acted upon their feedback.

• Although the practice regularly undertook a range audits, shortfalls identified by them had not been addressed for long periods of time.

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

• Review the storage of dental care products and medicines requiring refrigeration and ensure fridge temperatures are monitored and recorded.
• 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, The Health, and Social Care Act 2008: ‘Code of Practice about the prevention and control of infections and related guidance.

• Review appraisal protocols to ensure that all staff working at the practice have their performance monitored and assessed.

• Consider providing the hygienist with the support of an appropriately trained member of the dental team.

• Review the practice’s protocols in relation to clinical records and ensure that patient recalls are recorded giving due regard to National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines

• Review basic periodontal examination scoring to ensure it is consistent across the practice and in line with guidelines issued by the British Periodontal Society’s recommendations
• Review the practice’s protocols for recording in the patients’ dental care records quality of the X-ray giving due regard to the Ionising Radiation (Medical Exposure) Regulations (IR (ME) R) 2000.

During our visit to the practice we spoke with three people and several staff members.

We observed how people were treated at the reception desk and how people were called through to the dentist surgery. One person told us, "I always think the dentist is a very important part of your health and this one explains everything to me, in my view he is excellent." Another person said, "The staff here are unfailingly polite, cheerful and more importantly very professional, I would have no hesitation to recommend this practice to my friends."