De-ientes Clapham

We carried out this announced inspection on 28 November 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 Care Quality Commission (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

De-ientes Clapham is in Clapham, Bedford and provides NHS and private treatment to adults and children.

The practice is located in the centre of the village. There is level access into the waiting area, and ground floor treatment rooms are available for people who use wheelchairs and those with pushchairs. There are some car parking spaces available at the practice. The provider also has another practice in Bedford town centre, which has a separate CQC registration.

The dental team includes four dentists, one foundation dentist, a hygienist, five dental nurses and six trainee dental nurses. The clinical team is supported by three receptionists, a finance manager and three housekeepers. All staff are rostered to work across the Clapham and Bedford branches. The practice has four treatment rooms.

The practice is owned by an organisation 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 De-ientes Clapham is the principal dentist.

On the day of inspection, we received feedback from 58 patients.

During the inspection we spoke with three dentists, the foundation dentist and two dental nurses, one of whom works as the clinical team leader. We looked at practice policies and procedures and other records about how the service is managed.

The practice is open:

Monday to Friday from 9am to 5.30pm.

Our key findings were:

• The practice appeared clean 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.
• 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 supported patients to ensure better oral health.
• The appointment system took account of patients’ needs.
• The provider had effective leadership and culture of continuous improvement. There was scope to strengthen the actions identified from audits undertaken in the practice.
• Staff felt involved and supported and worked well as a team. Staff spoke openly about how much they enjoyed working at the practice.
• The provider asked staff and patients for feedback about the services they provided.
• The provider had suitable information governance arrangements.