Background to this inspection
Updated
3 September 2015
The inspection took place on 4 August 2015 and was conducted by a CQC inspector and a dental specialist advisor.
We informed NHS England area team and Healthwatch that we were inspecting the practice; however we did not receive any information of concern from them. The practice sent us their statement of purpose, details of their staffing levels and a summary of complaints they had received in the last 12 months. We also reviewed further information on the day of the inspection, talked with people using the service, interviewed staff, made observations and looked at documentation kept by the practice.
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 therefore formed the framework for the areas we looked at during the inspection. This did not highlight any significant areas of risk across the five key question areas.
Updated
3 September 2015
We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 4 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.
Background
The practice is operated by Bupa Dental Services Limited and is situated within J Sainsbury’s Supermarket store near the centre of Bolton. The practice provides exclusively private dental care and treatment for its patient population. Dental care and treatment was provided by five dentists on a sessional basis. The dentists were supported by the practice team comprising of the practice manager, five dental nurses/receptionists, a dental hygienist and a receptionist. At the time of our inspection a dentist and two dental nurses were providing dental services to patients. The practice manager and area manager (from Bupa Dental Services Limited) were also present during our inspection. 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 is open Monday to Friday 8am to 8pm, Saturday 10am to 8pm and Sunday 12am to 4pm.
We spoke with five patients who used the service on the day of our inspection and reviewed nine CQC comment cards that had been completed by patients prior to the inspection. The patients we spoke with were very complimentary about the service. They told us they found the staff to be professional, supportive, informative and welcoming. They also said they were treated with dignity and respect. The comments on the CQC comment cards were also very positive about the practice team and the service provided.
Our key findings were:
• There were systems in place for staff to report and learn from incidents. There were sufficient staff on duty to deliver the service. There was enough equipment available for staff to undertake their duties and all equipment had been regularly checked/serviced. Systems were in place to minimise risk including procedures and processes to prevent infections, manage emergencies and safeguard people using the service.
• Patients needs were assessed and dental care and treatment was planned and delivered in line with current guidance and best practice. This included the promotion of good oral health. We saw evidence staff had received training appropriate to their roles and further training needs were identified and planned through the appraisal process. Arrangements were in place to refer patients to specialist dental services where required. Staff clearly understood the importance of obtaining informed consent from patients and how to support patients who may lack the capacity to provide informed consent.
• The patients we spoke with and all the comment cards we reviewed indicated that patients were consistently treated with kindness and respect by staff. We were told that communication with patients and their families and access to the service and to the dentists, was good. Patients reported good access to the practice with same day emergency appointments being available when required.
• The practice had procedures in place to take into account, respond to and learn from patients comments, concerns or complaints.
• A clear management structure was in operation. The quality assurance and governance arrangements ensure that responsibilities are clear, quality and performance are regularly considered, and risks are identified, understood and managed. Staff told us that the provider valued their involvement and that their views are reflected in the planning and delivery of t he service.