We carried out this announced inspection on 29 October 2018 under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. We planned the inspection to check whether the registered provider was meeting the legal requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated regulations. The inspection was led by a CQC inspector who was supported by a specialist dental adviser.

To get to the heart of patients’ experiences of care and treatment, we always ask the following five questions:

• Is it safe?

• Is it effective?

• Is it caring?

• Is it responsive to people’s needs?

• Is it well-led?

These questions form the framework for the areas we look at during the inspection.

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

Hemper Lane Dental Practice is in Bradway, Sheffield and provides NHS and private treatment to adults and children.

There is level access for people who use wheelchairs and those with pushchairs. Car parking spaces are available at the practice.

The dental team includes one dentist, three dental nurses, two dental hygiene therapists and a practice manager. The practice has two treatment rooms.

The practice is owned by an individual who is the principal dentist there. They have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated regulations about how the practice is run.

On the day of inspection, we collected 48 CQC comment cards filled in by patients.

During the inspection we spoke with the dentist, three dental nurses, and the practice manager. We looked at practice policies and procedures and other records about how the service is managed.

The practice is open:

Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday 9am – 5pm

Thursday 9am – 7pm

Friday 8:30am – 4pm

Our key findings were:

• The practice appeared clean and well maintained.
• The provider had infection control procedures. These reflected published guidance apart from the storage of unwrapped instruments.
• Staff knew how to deal with emergencies. Apart from one item, appropriate medicines and life-saving equipment were available.
• The practice had systems to help them manage risk to patients and staff. An assessment of the associated risks when transporting medical oxygen was needed.
• The practice staff had suitable safeguarding processes and staff knew their responsibilities for safeguarding vulnerable adults and children.
• The provider had thorough staff recruitment procedures.
• The clinical staff provided patients’ care and treatment in line with current guidelines.
• Staff treated patients with dignity and respect and took care to protect their privacy and personal information.
• The provider was providing preventive care and supporting patients to ensure better oral health.
• The appointment system met patients’ needs.
• The practice had effective leadership and culture of continuous improvement.
• Staff felt involved and supported and worked well as a team.
• The practice asked staff and patients for feedback about the services they provided.
• The provider dealt with complaints positively and efficiently.
• The provider had suitable information governance arrangements.

There were areas where the provider could make improvements. They should:

• Review the practice’s processes to ensure medicines are available to manage medical emergencies taking into account the guidelines issued by the British National Formulary and the General Dental Council. In addition: review staff awareness of the medical kit contents and its location.
• Review the process to monitor staff training to ensure all the staff undertake training in a timely manner. In particular: the safeguarding of children and vulnerable adults and infection prevention and control.
• Introduce protocols regarding the prescribing of antibiotic medicines taking into account the guidance provided by the Faculty of General Dental Practice.
• Review the practice's protocols for completion of dental care records taking into account the guidance provided by the Faculty of General Dental Practice.
• Review the practice’s protocols for domiciliary visits taking into account the 2009 guidelines published by British Society for Disability and Oral Health in the document “Guidelines for the Delivery of a Domiciliary Oral Healthcare Service”, In particular: the risks associated with the transportation of medical oxygen.