We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 5 July 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 - Earl Royd – Keighley is situated in Keighley, 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 and orthodontics (on a private basis only).

The practice has recently undergone a major refurbishment. It has 11 surgeries, a decontamination room, three waiting areas and two reception areas. The two reception areas, two of the waiting areas and five surgeries are on the ground floor. The other six surgeries, a separate waiting area and the decontamination room are on the first floor. There are accessible toilet facilities on the ground floor of the premises. In the basement of the premises there are staff facilities, a meeting room and a communication centre.

There are 11 dentists, one dental hygiene therapist, one dental hygiene therapist, 13 qualified dental nurses, seven trainee dental nurses, six receptionists and a practice manager. They are also supported by an area development manager, a regional manager and a clinical support manager.

The opening hours are Monday and Friday from 8-00am to 5-30pm, Tuesday to Thursday from 8-00am to 8-00pm and Saturday from 9-00am to 4-00pm.

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. 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 36 patients provided feedback about the service. The patients were positive about the care and treatment they received at the practice. Comments included that the staff were polite, helpful and efficient. They also commented that the premises was safe and hygienic and that treatments were well explained. Several patients commented that they were impressed with the new refurbishment work.

Our key findings were:

• The practice appeared clean and hygienic.
• 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 had received training appropriate to their roles.
• Treatment was provided in line with current best practice guidelines including the Faculty of General Dental Practice (FGDP) and National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).
• 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 were clearly defined leadership roles within the practice and staff told us that they felt supported, appreciated and comfortable to raise concerns or make suggestions.

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 "They are very efficient in the way they deal with me I can only speak very highly of them all." Another person said "It's very good here, I have so much confidence in them, they are always very pleasant." We asked two people if they felt safe at the practice. They both said "Yes they always felt very safe."

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 provided. People who used the service were asked for their views about their care and treatment which enabled the provider to evaluate the quality of care provided.