St James Dental

We carried out this announced inspection on 28 January 2020 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 and a CQC registration inspector.

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 this practice was providing safe care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Are services effective?

We found this practice was providing effective care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Are services caring?

We found this practice was providing caring services in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Are services responsive?

We found this practice was providing responsive care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Are services well-led?

We found this practice was providing well-led care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Background

St James Dental is in Quedgeley and provides private dental care and treatment for adults and children and NHS care for children.

The practice is located alongside other healthcare services including GP and pharmacy services. There is level access to the practice for people who use wheelchairs and those with pushchairs. A car park is provided which includes dedicated spaces for people with disabilities.

The dental team includes 10 dentists, one orthodontist, 15 dental nurses, three dental hygienists, five decontamination technicians, five receptionists, three administrators and a practice manager. The practice has 10 treatment rooms.

The practice is owned by a partnership and as a condition of registration must have a person registered with the CQC 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 St James Dental is the principal dentist.

On the day of inspection, we collected 30 CQC comment cards filled in by patients, spoke with three patients and four patients provided feedback to the CQC online. These provided a positive view of the dental team and care provided by the practice.

During the inspection we spoke with four dentists, six dental nurses, a dental hygienist, two receptionists 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 to Thursday 8.30am to 7.00pm
• Friday 8.30am to 5.00pm
• Saturday 8.30am to 1.00pm (open until 4.00pm – once a month)

Our key findings were:

• The practice appeared to be visibly 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 safeguarding processes and staff knew their responsibilities for safeguarding vulnerable adults and children.
• The provider had staff recruitment procedures which reflected current legislation. However, for two new staff references had not been obtained but potential risks were being appropriately managed.
• 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 a culture of continuous improvement.
• Staff felt involved and supported and worked as a team.
• The provider asked staff and patients for feedback about the services they provided.
• The provider dealt with complaints positively and efficiently.
• The provider had information governance arrangements.

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

• Take action to ensure all clinical staff who do not have adequate immunity for vaccine preventable infectious diseases are appropriately risk assessed.