We carried out this announced inspection on 7 July 2017 under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. We planned the inspection to check whether the registered provider was meeting the legal requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated regulations. The inspection was led by a CQC inspector who had remote access to a specialist dental adviser.

We told the NHS England Cheshire and Merseyside area team and Healthwatch that we were inspecting the practice. We did not receive any information of concern from them.

To get to the heart of patients’ experiences of care and treatment we always ask the following five questions:

• Is it safe?

• Is it effective?

• Is it caring?

• Is it responsive to people’s needs?

• Is it well-led?

These questions form the framework for the areas we look at during the inspection.

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

Willaston Dental Practice is close to the centre of Willaston and provides dental care and treatment to adults and children on an NHS or privately funded basis.

The practice is situated at ground floor level. The provider has installed a ramp to facilitate access to the practice for wheelchair users. Car parking is available in the practice’s own car park.

The dental team includes the principal dentist, a dental hygienist, a dental hygiene therapist, five dental nurses, one of whom is a trainee, a receptionist, and an administrator. The practice has three treatment rooms.

The practice is owned by an individual who is the principal dentist there. They 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 from 35 people during the inspection about the services provided. The feedback provided was positive about the practice.

During the inspection we spoke to the dentist, dental nurses and the receptionist. We looked at practice policies, procedures and other records about how the service is managed.

The practice is open:

Monday to Thursday 9.00am to 5.30pm

Friday 9.00am to 4.00pm.

Our key findings were:

• The practice was clean and well maintained.
• The practice had infection control procedures in place which reflected published guidance.
• Staff knew how to deal with emergencies. Appropriate medical emergency medicines and equipment were available.
• The practice had safeguarding processes in place and staff knew their responsibilities for safeguarding adults and children.
• The practice had staff recruitment procedures in place.
• Staff provided patients’ care and treatment in line with current guidelines.
• The practice had a procedure in place for dealing with complaints.
• Staff treated patients with dignity and respect and took care to protect their privacy and personal information.
• The appointment system took patients’ needs into account. Dedicated emergency appointments were available.
• The practice had a leadership structure. Staff felt involved and supported and worked well as a team.
• The practice asked patients and staff for feedback about the services they provided.
• The practice had systems in place to help them manage risk but not all risks had been monitored appropriately.

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

• Review the practice’s systems for assessing, monitoring and mitigating the various risks arising from the undertaking of the regulated activities, specifically in relation to staff awareness of sharps procedures, and assessing and mitigating risks where staff immunity is unknown.

We spoke with four people who used the service and looked at the results of fifteen surveys that had been completed by patients. This indicated that people were positive about the care and treatment they had received. Some comments made were: -

“This is an excellent service. I can get an appointment in an emergency. The staff are friendly and polite.”

“The staff are sensitive to my needs. Treatments are well explained.”

“It’s a very good service. The oral health care advice is outstanding.”

We found that there were practices in place to ensure that standards were maintained. Feedback from the people who used the service was gathered through surveys. The practice also had a clear complaint procedure. This ensured that the service was able to identify what was working well and were improvements were needed. We found checks of equipment had taken place at the recommended frequencies. This ensured that equipment was safe and fit for purpose.

We found that the people who used the service were given information around their treatment options and health care advice where needed. The surgeries and reception areas were clean. Records were held securely. Consultations and treatments took place in private.