Archived: The Dental Practice at Katherine Place

Updated 15 November 2016

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the practice was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

We carried out an announced, comprehensive inspection on 27 September 2016. The inspection team consisted of a Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspector and a dental specialist advisor.

Before the inspection we asked the provider for information to be sent this included the complaints the practice had received in the last 12 months; their latest statement of purpose; the details of the staff members and their qualifications and proof of registration with their professional bodies.

We also reviewed the information we held about the practice and found there were no areas of concern.

During the inspection we spoke with seven members of staff. We reviewed policies, procedures and other documents. We received feedback from 74 patients about the dental service.

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.

Updated 15 November 2016

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 27 September 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 Dental Practice at Katherine Place is a dental practice situated in the pedestrianised shopping quadrant named Katherine Place in Abbots Langley Hertfordshire.

The practice offers general dental treatment to adults and children funded by the NHS or privately.

The practice is situated in a single storey building affording wheelchair access throughout the premises with the exception of the toilet facilities.

The principal dentist is registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) as an individual. 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.

74 patients provided feedback about the service by way of comment cards left on the premises. The comments made were overwhelmingly positive.

Our key findings were:

• The practice was visibly clean and clutter free.

• Patients reported that staff were kind and efficient. They received good advice and were seen on time.

• The practice carried medicines and equipment for use in a medical emergency, where this varied from the national guidance the practice took immediate steps to address this.

• Infection control standards met those outlined in the Health and Technical Memorandum 01-05 published by the Department of Health.

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

• The clinicians used nationally recognised guidelines in the care and treatment of patients.

• A new patient appointment could usually be secured within a week, and the practice endeavoured to see emergency patients on the day they contacted the service.

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

• Review the current staffing arrangements to ensure all dental care professionals are adequately supported by a trained member of the dental team when treating patients in a dental setting.

• Review the protocol for completing accurate, complete and detailed records relating to employment of staff. This includes making appropriate notes of verbal reference taken and ensuring recruitment checks, including references, are suitably obtained and recorded.