Morgan Dental Practice

Updated 4 September 2015

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 and to pilot a new inspection process being introduced by the CQC.

We carried out an announced inspection on the 28 January 2015. The inspection team consisted of a Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspector and a dental specialist advisor.

Prior to the inspection we reviewed information that we held about the provider and by other organisations. 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.

During the inspection we toured the premises and spoke with two dentists, two dental nurses, one reception staff member and the quality/practice manager. To assess the quality of care provided by the practice, we looked at practice policies and protocols and other records.

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 4 September 2015

We carried out a comprehensive inspection of Morgan Dental Practice on 28 January 2015.

Morgan Dental Practice provides general dental treatment and orthodontics. There is capacity under a limited NHS contract for general treatment for adults and children as well as an NHS orthodontic contract for children. Other patients are treated on a private fee paying basis or under a care plan.

There were three dentists including the principal dentist. A fourth dentist – the co-owner of the practice had retired from clinical dentistry. One of the dentists worked one day a week carrying out orthodontic treatment. A hygienist also worked at the practice.

Before the inspection we sent CQC comment cards to the practice for patients to complete. We received 31 completed comments cards and spoke with two patients on the day of the inspection. Overall these patients were positive about the practice and described the staff team as polite, helpful and pleasant. Patients commented that they were very pleased with their care they had received.

Our key findings were:

• The practice had systems to monitor patient safety through reporting and learning from incidents and significant events. The premises were clean and there was clear guidance available regarding infection prevention and control.

• The practice carried out assessments and planned treatment in line with current guidance. Staff received training appropriate to their roles and told us they felt well supported to carry out their work.

• Patients told us they were treated with kindness and respect by staff. Staff were knowledgeable about patient confidentiality and we observed good interaction between staff and patients during the inspection.

• The practice had recorded and acted upon complaints made in order to improve the service for patients. Patients were able to make routine and emergency appointments when needed. There were clear instructions for patients regarding out of hours care.

• There were leadership roles within the practice and staff told us they felt well supported and comfortable to raise concerns or make suggestions.

However, there were some areas of practice where the provider needs to make improvements.

The provider should:

• Keep all risk assessments under regular review
• Ensure the business continuity plan has a comprehensive process for recovering from unexpected events that threaten stability of the practice.
• Carry out regular checks on all emergency equipment.
• Assure themselves that all clinical staff have a working knowledge of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA).