We carried out this announced inspection on 20 February 2019 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

Mansfield Dental Practice is in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire and provides NHS treatment to adults and children.

There is level access for people who use wheelchairs and those with pushchairs. Car parking is available nearby on local side streets.

The dental team includes four dentists (two of whom are locum dentists), four dental nurses (one of whom also covers reception duties), one dental hygiene therapist and a practice manager. The practice has three treatment rooms. The practice was supported by the regional manager during the inspection.

The practice is owned by a company and as a condition of registration must have a person registered with the Care Quality Commission as the registered manager. Registered managers have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated regulations about how the practice is run. The registered manager at Mansfield Dental Practice is the practice manager.

On the day of inspection, we collected 10 CQC comment cards filled in by patients. All comment cards received reflected positively on the practice.

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

The practice is open:

Monday to Thursday 8:30am to 6pm

Friday 8:30am to 1pm

Our key findings were:

• The practice appeared clean and well maintained. An adjustment to the storage of cleaning equipment was required.
• The provider had infection control procedures which reflected published guidance.
• Staff knew how to deal with emergencies. Appropriate medicines and life-saving equipment were available.
• The practice had systems to help them manage risk to patients and staff.
• The provider had suitable safeguarding processes and staff knew their responsibilities for safeguarding vulnerable adults and children.
• The provider had thorough staff recruitment procedures.
• The process to check staff immunity levels required adjustment.
• 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.
• Staff were providing preventive care and supporting patients to ensure better oral health.
• The appointment system took account of patients’ needs.
• The provider had effective leadership and culture of continuous improvement.
• There was no system in place to monitor and track NHS prescription use.
• Staff felt involved and supported and worked well as a team.
• The provider 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 protocols for ensuring that all clinical staff have adequate immunity for vaccine preventable infectious diseases.
• Review the practice’s systems for environmental cleaning taking into account the guidelines issued by the Department of Health - Health Technical Memorandum 01-05: Decontamination in primary care dental practices. In particular: the storage of mops.
• Review the security of NHS prescription pads in the practice and ensure there are systems in place to track and monitor their use.