We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 20 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

Dental Clinic, Todmorden Health Centre is situated in Todmorden, West Yorkshire. The practice is a community dental service. It offers treatment to adults and children with special needs. The services include preventative advice and treatment and routine restorative dental care.

The practice is located on the second floor of a large medical centre. There is a lift from the ground floor to the dental clinic. There are two surgeries, an instruments storage room, a recovery room, a preventative dental unit, a waiting area and a reception area.

There is one dentist, three dental hygiene therapists and six dental nurses. They are supported by a management team which includes a quality manager, a customer engagement manager and a head of business.

The opening hours are Monday, Tuesday and Thursday 8:30am to 5:00pm.

The Chief Executive of Locala 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.

During the inspection we received feedback from three patients. The patients were positive about the care and treatment they received at the practice. Comments included staff were polite, friendly and professional. They also commented they were given very good advice about looking after their teeth.

Our key findings were:

• The practice was visibly clean and uncluttered.
• The practice had systems in place to assess and manage risks to patients and staff including health and safety and the management of medical emergencies.
• Staff were qualified and had received training appropriate to their roles.
• Patients were involved in making decisions about their treatment and were given clear explanations about their proposed treatment including costs, benefits and risks.
• Dental care records showed treatment was planned in line with current best practice guidelines.
• Oral health advice and treatment were provided in-line with the ‘Delivering Better Oral Health’ toolkit (DBOH).
• We observed patients were treated with kindness and respect by staff.
• The practice used cognitive behavioural therapy to help patients overcome anxiety of dental treatment.
• Reasonable adjustments had been made to enable wheelchair users or patients with limited mobility to access dental treatment.
• Staff ensured there was sufficient time to explain fully the care and treatment they were providing in a way patients understood.
• The practice had a complaints system in place and there was an openness and transparency in how these were dealt with.
• The governance systems were effective.
• There were clearly defined leadership roles within the practice and staff told us they felt supported, appreciated and comfortable to raise concerns or make suggestions.

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

• Review availability of equipment to manage medical emergencies giving due regard to guidelines issued by the Resuscitation Council (UK), and the General Dental Council (GDC) standards for the dental team.

We were unable to speak with anyone who uses the service during our visit and the two people who had appointments had not turned up. Staff told us that they telephone people to remind them, but this sometimes happened. The staff we spoke with were all very enthusiastic about the service they provide. The therapist told us that the day before our visit one person had given them very positive feedback about the care and support they had received at the practice.