We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 25 August 2015 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.

Our key findings were:

• The practice had systems and processes in place which ensured patients were protected from abuse and avoidable harm by a skilled staff team.
• Patients’ treatment and support achieved positive outcomes, promoted a good quality dental care and was based on the most recently available guidance and evidence.
• Staff involved and treated patients with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect.
• Services were organised so that they meet patients’ needs and were flexible enough to accommodate emergency appointments each day.
• The leadership, management and governance of the organisation supported the delivery of high-quality patient centred treatment, supported additional learning and promoted an open and fair culture.

There were areas where the provider could make improvements for example:

• Training for new staff about safeguarding vulnerable adults should be prioritised earlier in their induction training.
• All policies should be dated to evidence clearly the date they were reviewed.

Background

Blenheim Dental Practice provides general NHS dentistry and some private dental services to living in Minehead and the surrounding areas. The practice has patients from a wide rural catchment area surrounding Minehead with some patients travelling long distances to attend appointments. The practice is located on the first and second floors of a terraced property close to the main shopping area, with parking close by. The dental treatment and hygienist rooms are on the first and second floors and there is a separate decontamination room.

The practice has four treatment rooms and a separate dental hygienist area. The practice employs three dentists and is a training practice which supports one foundation trainee dentist. There is also a team of five dental nurses employed by the practice, one of the nurses is a trainee. The dental teams were supported by a practice manager and two receptionists. The practice is open from 8:30am until 5:00 pm Monday to Friday. The practice has their own website which provides information about the opening times and services they provide.

The main dentist 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.

We spoke with 10 patients who provided feedback about the service during our inspection. We also received comment cards from 16 patients. The patients we spoke with and the comments we received were all positive about the treatment they received. Similarly positive comments were made about the caring nature of all the staff in the practice. Patients commented they felt the dentists took time to explain the required treatment and involved them in their treatment and decision making.

There were four dentists providing services to patients on the day of our inspection. Each dentist was supported by a dedicated dental nurse and patients were welcomed to their appointments by a receptionist. There was a dedicated decontamination room nurse during the morning of the inspection and a practice manager provided management support.

We spent over nine hours in the practice looking at five key areas of the way the practice provided it’s services. We found that they provider ensured their services were safe, caring, responsive, effective and well led through a team of qualified and experienced staff.

The patients we spoke with told us, “I would recommend this practice to anyone”, whilst another said, “I can’t fault them here; they are a friendly and helpful team”. Patients told us their dentist kept them informed about the treatment they needed and involved them in decision making. Where a choice of treatment was available we saw from records how patients made choices.

We saw that treatment was provided following a full mouth assessment which included checks for caries, gum disease and oral cancer. One patient told us their examination was, “The most thorough check up I’ve ever had”. Patients told us their treatment was delivered in private and they were treated with respect by all the staff. Where children had appointments we saw they were accompanied by their parent and where vulnerable adults attended appointments they were accompanied by a carer. This showed people’s safety was ensured.

Cleanliness and infection control was carried out in accordance with current guidance. Records relating to the management of the practice were complete and regularly checked. Patient records were up to date, indicated any medical alerts and showed the treatment plans patients required to maintain effective oral health.