We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 12 January 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 Thorpe Dental Group operates Woodthorpe Dental Centre. The service is located on Moorcroft Road in York, North Yorkshire. A full range of dental services can be provided including private Orthodontic treatments, dental mplants, intravenous sedation and NHS treatments. The practice has wheelchair access. Parking is available locally. The practice also offers a variety of dental care plans where patients pay a monthly subscription and receive a discount off treatment and includes an examination every six months and a hygienist visit at varying intervals.

The practice currently has three dentists (one of which is a foundation dentist) two dental hygienists, six dental nurses (one of which is a trainee), one receptionist and a practice manager.

Two surgeries are located on the ground floor and a further two are on the first floor. There is also a reception and waiting area, a decontamination room, a dental panoramic radiography room, and a staff room/office.

The practice is open:

Monday – Friday 09:00 – 13:00 & 14:00 – 17:00.

On the day of inspection we received 38 CQC comment cards providing feedback and spoke with four 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 professional, had good communication skills, were efficient and caring and they were treated with dignity and respect in a clean and tidy environment.

The practice owner 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.

Our key findings were:

• 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 were treated with dignity and respect and confidentiality was maintained.
• The appointment system met patients’ needs.
• Governance arrangements were in place for the smooth running of the practice; however the practice did not have a structured plan in place to audit quality and safety beyond the mandatory audits for infection control and radiography. They planned to establish a more detailed system for this.

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

• 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.
• Record fridge temperatures where dental materials are stored.
• Review the complaints policy to include external agencies and review the accessibility of policy to patients.
• Review the practice’s process for the auditing of various aspects of the service such as infection prevention and control so they are undertaken at regular intervals to help improve the quality of service. The practice should also ensure all audits have documented learning points so the resulting improvements can be demonstrated.

People we spoke with told us that they had been examined and were given information about their treatment options. This allowed them to give their consent. People said they were satisfied with the care and treatment they received. One person we spoke with said “I am very happy with the service and I would not go anywhere else. My dentist always explains everything.”

We saw that there were policies and procedures in place to help to protect people from abuse. Staff received safeguarding training and were aware of the action they must take if they suspected abuse may be occurring. This helped to protect people.

There were appropriate decontamination systems, policies and procedures in place to help to protect people’s health and wellbeing. The premises and equipment were regularly maintained to ensure that people’s health and safety was protected.

Staff were supported to maintain and develop their skills. One person using this service said “The staff are on the ball, very professional and skilled."

The quality of the service was monitored by the senior staff and provider. People completed questionnaires periodically. This helped the provider to understand people’s experiences and maintain or improve the services being provided.

The practice had a complaints procedure in place. People we spoke with had not raised any complaints. One person said “I would feel comfortable to complain but I have never needed too.”