We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 20 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 - Old Mill Lane - Formby is situated in the village of Formby in Merseyside. The practice is part of the Mydentist brand of the IDH group (Integrated Dental Holdings Limited), a national organisation which operates dental practices across the United Kingdom. The Practice offers mainly NHS treatment to patients of all ages and some private dental care services. The services provided include preventative advice and treatment and routine and restorative dental care. The practice has seven dentists, a dental hygienist, five qualified dental nurses and a trainee dental nurse; in addition to three receptionists, two of whom are also dental nurses. The practice manager is also a qualified dental nurse. A visiting dental implantologist provides treatment sessions as required.

The practice has six dental treatment rooms three of which are located on the ground floor, two dedicated decontamination rooms, reception and waiting areas. Patient toilet facilities are on the first floor. There is wheelchair access and disabled parking. Patients with restricted mobility and families with pushchairs or young children are seen in one of the ground floor treatment rooms. Opening hours are Monday to Thursday from 9.00am until 6.00pm, Friday from 9.00am until 5.00pm and on occasional Saturdays from 9.00am until 1.00pm.

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.

We viewed seven CQC comment cards that had been left for patients to complete, prior to our visit, about the services provided. We reviewed patient feedback gathered by the practice over the last 12 months. Feedback from patients was positive about the care they received from the practice. They commented that staff put them at ease and listened to their concerns and that they had confidence in the dental services provided.

Our key findings were:

• The practice had systems to assess and manage risks to patients and staff, including infection prevention and control, health and safety, safeguarding, recruitment and the management of medical emergencies.
• Dentists provided dental care in accordance with current professional and National Institute for Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines.
• Patients were able to make routine or emergency appointments when needed. There were clear instructions for patients regarding out of hours care.
• There were effective clinical governance and risk management structures in place. There were systems to monitor and continually improve the quality of the service; including a programme of clinical and non-clinical audits.
• There were clearly defined leadership roles supporting the practice and systems for sharing information within the practice. Staff told us they felt well supported and comfortable to raise concerns or make suggestions.
• Staff had received training appropriate to their roles and were supported in their continued professional development (CPD) by the provider and practice manager.