Archived: W B Whittle

We carried out this announced inspection on 15 August 2019 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 was supported by a specialist dental adviser.

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

W B Whittle is in Bolton and provides private treatment to adults and children.

There is level access to the reception and ground floor treatment rooms for people who use wheelchairs and those with pushchairs. The toilet is on the first floor and is not accessible to wheelchair users. On street parking is available directly outside the practice.

The dental team includes one dentist, a practice manager, two dental nurses (one of which is a trainee), a part time dental hygienist and a part time dental hygiene therapist. The practice has five treatment rooms: three on the ground floor and two on the first floor.

The practice is owned by a company and as a condition of registration must have a person registered with the Care Quality Commission as the registered manager. Registered managers 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 registered manager at W B Whittle is the principal dentist.

On the day of inspection, we collected 56 CQC comment cards filled in by patients. Patients reported consistently high standards of service and care and were highly complimentary of the staff.

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

The practice is open:

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday 9am to 1pm and 2pm to 5.30pm

Saturdays by arrangement.

Our key findings were:

• The practice appeared clean, tidy and well maintained.
• The provider had infection control procedures which reflected published guidance.
• Staff knew how to deal with emergencies. Appropriate medicines and life-saving equipment were available.
• The provider had systems to help them manage risk to patients and staff. We highlighted some areas where this could be improved.
• The provider had suitable safeguarding processes and staff knew their responsibilities for safeguarding vulnerable adults and children.
• The provider had thorough staff recruitment procedures.
• The clinical staff provided patients’ care and treatment in line with current guidelines.
• Staff treated patients with dignity and respect and took care to protect their privacy and personal information.
• Staff provided preventive care and supporting patients to ensure better oral health.
• The appointment system took account of patients’ needs.
• The provider had effective leadership and culture of continuous improvement.
• Staff felt involved and supported and worked well as a team.
• The provider asked staff and patients for feedback about the services they provided.
• The provider had systems to deal with complaints positively and efficiently.
• The provider had suitable information governance arrangements.

There were areas where the provider could make improvements. They should:

• Review the practice’s arrangements for receiving and responding to patient safety alerts, recalls and rapid response reports issued by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, the Central Alerting System and other relevant bodies, such as Public Health England.

• Review the fire safety risk assessment and ensure that any actions required are complete and ongoing fire safety management is effective.

• Review the practice's policy for the control and storage of substances hazardous to health identified by the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002, to ensure risk assessments are undertaken and the products are stored securely.

• Review the practice's protocols for completion of dental care records taking into account the guidance provided by the Faculty of General Dental Practice.