We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 25 October 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

The Mount Dental Practice is situated in Wakefield, West Yorkshire. The practice offers mainly NHS dental treatment to patients of all ages and also offers private dental treatments. The services include preventative advice and treatment, routine restorative dental care and dental implants.

The practice has four surgeries, a decontamination room, an X-ray room, a waiting area and a reception area. All of the facilities are on the ground floor of the premises along with accessible toilets.

There are four dentists, one dental hygiene therapist, four dental nurses, two receptionists, a clinical lead and an area manager.

The opening hours are Monday to Thursday from 8-30am to 5-30pm and Friday from 8-30am to 5-00pm.

The area 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 we received feedback from 12 patients. The patients were positive about the care and treatment they received at the practice. Comments included staff were friendly, caring and professional. They also commented the practice was safe and hygienic.

Our key findings were:

• The practice was visibly clean and uncluttered.
• The practice had systems in place to assess and manage risks to patients and staff including health and safety and the management of medical emergencies.
• Staff were qualified and had received training appropriate to their roles.
• Patients were involved in making decisions about their treatment and were given clear explanations about their proposed treatment including costs, benefits and risks.
• Dental care records showed that treatment was planned in line with current best practice guidelines.
• 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.
• The practice had a complaints system in place and there was an openness and transparency in how these were dealt with.
• Patients were able to make routine and emergency appointments when needed.
• The governance systems were effective.
• 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.

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

• Review the practice’s sharps procedures giving due regard to the Health and Safety (Sharp Instruments in Healthcare) Regulations 2013.
• Review the storage of dental care records to ensure they are stored securely.
• Review the practice’s process for carrying out regular minuted staff meetings.