We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 10 December 2015 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

Star Dental Care provides dental treatment to mainly NHS patients. The dental practice is located in the town of Thirsk, North Yorkshire. There is a ground floor surgery, a first floor surgery and two second floor surgeries, which are accessible by stairs. There is one main reception area and a waiting room. There are four dentists, a foundation dentist, a dental hygiene therapist, four dental nurses that also work on reception, a practice manager and a deputy manager. Parking is available near the practice and the practice is close to main bus services to the town centre.

The practice offers a mix of NHS and private dental treatments. The services include preventative advice, routine restorative dental care and private orthodontic treatment.

The practice is open:

Monday –Tuesday 09:00 - 17:15

Wednesday 08:30 - 17:15

Thursday 08:45 - 17:15

Friday 09:00 - 16:30

On the day of inspection we received nine CQC comment cards providing feedback and spoke to three patients The patients who provided feedback were positive about the care and treatment they received at the practice. They told us they were involved in all aspects of their care and were very pleased with the service. They found the staff to be welcoming, helpful, pleasant and caring and they were treated with dignity and respect in a clean and tidy environment.

Our key findings were:

• Staff had received safeguarding training, knew how to recognise signs of abuse and how to report it.
• Staff had been trained to manage medical emergencies.
• Infection prevention and control procedures were in accordance with the published guidelines.
• Patients’ care and treatment was planned and delivered in line with evidence based guidelines, best practice and current regulations.
• 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.
• There was a complaints system in place. Staff recorded complaints and cascaded learning to staff.
• The practice sought feedback from staff and patients about the services they provided.

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

• Review the practice’s protocols for the use of rubber dam for root canal treatment giving due regard to guidelines issued by the British Endodontic Society.
• Implement risk assessments for the practice including a sharps, giving due regard to the Health and Safety (Sharp Instruments in Healthcare) Regulations 2013

• Review the protocol for receiving, sharing and acknowledging alerts by e-mail from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), the UK’s regulator of medicines, medical devices and blood components for transfusion, responsible for ensuring their safety, quality and effectiveness.
• Implement a policy for lone working for all members of staff.
• Review audits of various aspects of the service, such as radiography, infection prevention and control and dental care records are undertaken within the guidelines to help improve the quality of service. The practice should also ensure all audits have documented learning points and the resulting improvements can be demonstrated.