We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 12 April 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

Weston Favell Dental Practice is a dental clinic in the Weston Favell area of Northampton town, and provides a range of NHS and private dental treatments to adults and children. It is part of a large group of dental practices in the area.

The practice is situated on the first floor of the Weston Favell Primary Care Centre and shares the building with four doctors’ surgeries and a pharmacy. It has seven treatment rooms, and a separate decontamination room, as well as an office, waiting area with reception and a staff room.

There is access to the first floor via stairs and a lift.

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.

The practice was first registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in June 2011.

We received positive feedback from 37 patients about the services provided. This was through CQC comment cards left at the practice prior to the inspection and by speaking with patients in the practice.

Our key findings were

• The practice met national standards in infection control.

• Patients commented that staff were kind and friendly and were able to put nervous patients at ease.

• There was appropriate equipment for staff to undertake their duties, and equipment was well maintained.

• The practice had emergency medicines and equipment in line with national guidelines.

• Staff recruitment checks had been carried out in accordance with schedule three of the Health and Social Care Act 2008. Disclosure and barring service checks had been carried out on all staff to ensure the practice employed fit and proper persons.

• Dental care records were found to be accurate and detailed.

• The practice used clinical audit as a tool to ensure continual improvement of the service and regularly carried out audits over and above those mandatory audits for infection control and quality of X-rays.

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

• Review the need to regularly review and update policies for the smooth running of the service, and to ensure that they remain relevant and up to date.
• Review the availability of adrenaline over and above the stock that was carried in the event that this is used up before the emergency services are in attendance.

We spoke with people who use the service and they told us that they were happy with the service provided by the practice. One person told us they had been coming to the practice for many years and had always been happy with treatment.