We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 9 February 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

Humber & Yorkshire CDA - Ilkley is situated in Ilkley, West Yorkshire. It offers mainly NHS treatment to patients of all ages but also offers private dental treatments. The services include preventative advice and treatment, routine restorative dental care, dental implants and specialist periodontal treatments.

The practice has two surgeries, a decontamination area with separate dirty and clean rooms, a waiting area and a reception area. The reception area, waiting area and both surgeries are on the ground floor. There is wheelchair access to the premises. There are accessible toilet facilities on the ground floor of the premises.

There are two dentists (one of whom provides dental implants and specialist periodontal treatments), one dental hygienist, two dental nurses (who also cover reception duties) and a practice manager.

The opening hours are Monday to Friday from 9-00am to 5-00pm. The practice is closed for lunch between 12-30pm to 1-30pm.

One of the practice owners 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 spoke with three patients who used the service and reviewed two completed CQC comment cards. The patients were positive about the care and treatment they received at the practice. Comments included that the staff were polite, friendly and helpful.

Our key findings were:

• The practice had systems in place to assess and manage risks to patients and staff including infection prevention, control and health and safety and the management of medical emergencies.
• Staff were qualified and 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.
• Oral health advice and treatment were provided in-line with the ‘Delivering Better Oral Health’ toolkit (DBOH).
• We observed that patients were treated with kindness and respect by staff. Staff ensured there was sufficient time to explain fully the care and treatment they were providing in a way patients understood.
• Patients were able to make routine and emergency appointments when needed.
• The practice had a complaints system in place and there was an openness and transparency in how these were dealt with.
• There was clearly defined management structure and staff told us that they felt supported, appreciated and comfortable to raise concerns or make suggestions.

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

• Review the practice’s process for the storage of data from the autoclaves.
• Review the arrangement of the hand washing sink in the decontamination room.
• Document when the emergency drugs have been checked.
• Review the practice’s procedure for the bagging of re-usable dental burs.

People we spoke with told us staff explained all the procedures and treatments to them and respected their decisions about their treatment and care. One person said, "I am very happy with the dentist everything is straight forward and they will explain everything to me and give me choices.” Another person said “they are very professional I am not a number I am treated as a human being, they are very nice to me and my family, it's a positive experience to visit this dentist.”

We asked two people if they felt safe at the practice. They both said "yes." One person said "I had a problem and they fitted me in almost straight away.” Another person said, “It's a superior service.”

We found people received care and treatment in a clean environment with infection control measures in place to minimise the risk of infection. People we spoke with told us the practice was always clean and tidy.

The provider had a system in place for gathering, recording and evaluating information about the quality and safety of care the service provided. People who used the service were asked for their views about their care and treatment.

We spoke with the dentist who informed us they were currently working towards a British Dental Association good practise award which is a yearly award.