We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 18 August 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.

This was the first inspection of the service since registering with CQC in February 2015.

Station House Dental Practice is located in Barnoldswick town centre. The practice provides both NHS and private dental care. There are two dentists one of whom is the owner/principal dentist, two dental nurses one of whom is the practice manager and a marketing manager. At the time of this inspection there were 1239 patients registered with the practice. Station House offers (30%) NHS dental care services to patients of all ages and the remaining patients (70%) paid privately or had a dental payment plan in place.

The principal dentist is registered with CQC as the registered provider for the practice. 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 received feedback in CQC comment cards from 40 patients. In addition we spoke with three patients on the day of our inspection. Feedback from patients was extremely positive about the treatment and care they received at the practice. Patients were complimentary about the staff and told us they were treated with kindness, respect and compassion.

The practice was situated in a converted residential property access is suitable for patients who used a wheelchair. Disabled toilet facilities were not provided but patients were made aware that these facilities were available in the nearby library. There was a treatment room and a waiting room on the ground floor. The decontamination room was adjacent to the treatment room.

There were two dentists working at the practice. The principal dentist treated patients Monday to Thursday and the other dentist worked at the practice on Fridays. They were supported by two registered dental nurses, a casual receptionist, a marketing manager and a practice manager.

The practice opening times are Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 9am until 5pm and Wednesday 9am until 8pm and alternate Saturdays 9am until 1pm.

Our key findings were:

• Staff had attended training in relation to safeguarding and whistleblowing and understood their responsibilities to protect patients from harm.

• There were systems in place to assess and manage risks to patients, including health and safety and the management of medical emergencies.

• Patients were involved in making decisions about their treatment and were given clear explanations about their proposed treatment including costs, benefits and risks.

• The practice had procedures in place to take into account any comments, concerns or complaints.

• There were maintenance contracts in place to ensure all equipment had been serviced regularly, including, autoclave, fire extinguishers, the suction compressor, oxygen cylinder and X-ray equipment.

• There were effective systems in place to reduce the risk and spread of infection. The premises were visibly clean and well maintained. There were policies and procedures providing guidance on how to maintain a clean and hygienic environment.

• The patients we spoke with and all the comment cards we reviewed indicated that staff were kind and respectful.

• Patients gave signed consent before treatment commenced. Patient’s dental care records showed on-going monitoring of their oral health.

• Patients were asked to provide information about their general health and any medications they were taking before treatment started.

• Patients were provided with a written copy of their treatment plan which also indicated the costs of individual treatments.

• The practice had an accessible and visible leadership team. Staff were supported to maintain their continuing professional development (CPD) and had undertaken training appropriate to their roles.

• The patients we spoke with and staff reported that patients were at the heart of the practice.

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

• Ensure the local rules relating to radiation protection are practice specific and review the arrangements for seeking advice from a radiation protection advisor (RPA) regarding the Ionising Radiation Regulations 1999 (IRR99).
• Review policies and procedures to ensure they are practice specific.