We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 28 November 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

Mydentist - Commercial Street – Willington is situated in the centre of Willingham, County Durham. The practice offers NHS and private dental treatments including preventative advice and general dentistry.

The practice has 3 surgeries over two floors, a decontamination room, two waiting areas, a room for the Orthopantomogram (OPT) machine, a reception area and patient toilets. There are staff facilities and offices on the first floor of the premises.

The dental team consists of four dentists, four dental nurses and a practice manager.

The practice is open:

Monday, Wednesday, Thursday & Friday 8.30 – 12.30 13.30 – 17.30.

Tuesday 8.30 – 12.30 13.30 – 19.00.

The practice manager is the registered manager. A registered manager is a person who is registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. 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.

On the day of inspection we received feedback from 15 patients. The patients who provided feedback were very positive about the care and attention to treatment they received at the practice. They told us they were involved in all aspects of their care and found the staff to be very pleasant and helpful. Patients mentioned they were comfortable and informed during treatments, they could access emergency care easily and they were treated with dignity and respect in a clean and tidy environment.

Our key findings were:

• The practice had systems in place to assess and manage risks to patients and staff including infection prevention and control, health and safety and the management of medical emergencies.
• The practice was visibly clean and uncluttered.
• Staff had received safeguarding training, knew how to recognise signs of abuse and how to report it. The practice had very good systems in place to work closely and share information with the local safeguarding team.
• There were sufficient numbers of suitably qualified staff to meet the needs of patients.
• Infection control procedures were in accordance with the published guidelines.
• Oral health advice and treatment were provided in-line with the ‘Delivering Better Oral Health’ toolkit (DBOH).
• Treatment was well planned and provided in line with current best practice guidelines.
• Patients received clear explanations about their proposed treatment, costs, benefits and risks and were involved in making decisions about it.
• Patients were treated with dignity and respect and confidentiality was maintained.
• The appointment system met patients’ needs.
• The practice was well-led and staff felt involved and supported and worked well as a team.
• The governance systems were effective and embedded.
• The practice sought feedback from staff and patients about the services they provided.
• There were clearly defined leadership roles within the practice and staff felt supported at all levels.

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

• Review the practice audit process of various aspects of the service, such as infection prevention and control to ensure audits are undertaken at regular intervals to help improve the quality of service. The practice must also ensure all audits have documented action plans, learning points and the resulting improvements can be demonstrated.
• Review the practice’s Legionella risk assessment and implement the required actions recommended.
• Review the practice’s arrangements for sharing patient safety alerts issued from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and through the Central Alerting System (CAS), as well as from other relevant bodies such as, Public Health England (PHE).

We spoke with three people to find out their opinions about the service they received. One person said, "I couldn't be happier, the dentist isn't a nice experience for most but they make it pleasant here."

People told us they were involved in planning their treatment and were given information and possible treatment options. We found that care and treatment was planned and delivered in a way that was intended to ensure people's safety and welfare.

We saw that the provider had a safeguarding policy in place which detailed the actions to be taken should staff have concerns about care or witness a safeguarding incident. One staff member said, "We haven't had anything, but we've all been trained on what to look out for."

Appropriate checks were undertaken before staff began work. Staff informed us they were appropriately trained and supported in their role.

We confirmed the provider had a detailed and effective quality monitoring process in place.