We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 30 December 2015 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
Genix Healthcare Dental Clinic, Havant is located in the Meridian shopping centre in the middle of Havant. The practice is situated on the first floor and is accessible to patients by lift, staircase and escalator. The practice was registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in August 2011. The practice provides regulated dental services to patients in Havant and the surrounding area.
The practice provides mostly NHS dental treatment, with approximately 95% of treatment being NHS. Services provided include general dentistry, dental hygiene, crowns and bridges, and root canal treatment.
The practice is open: Mondays: 8 am to 6:30 pm; Tuesdays: 8 am to 8 pm; Wednesdays: 8 am to 6:30 pm; Thursdays: 8 am to 8 pm; Fridays: 8 am to 6:30 pm and Saturdays: 8:30 am to 12:30 pm. Access for urgent treatment outside of opening hours is by ringing the NHS 111 telephone number.
The practice has three dentists, five dental nurses, two receptionists, one practice manager and one trainee dental nurse.
At the time of the inspection a local manager with the provider organisation was the registered manager. A registered manager is a person who is registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. 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.
We received feedback from 18 patients about the services provided from a variety of sources including the NHS Choices website and in the practice. Patients within the practice expressed satisfaction with the whole service from reception desk through to the dentist’s chair. Feedback from NHS Choices was mixed.
Our key findings were:
- The practice had systems and processes to record accidents, significant events and complaints.
- Learning from any complaints and significant incidents was recorded and learning was shared with staff.
- When necessary apologies were given to patients when things had gone wrong.
- All staff had received whistle blowing training and were aware of these procedures and how to use them.
- Patients spoke very positively about the dental service they received, and several recounted positive experiences they had at the practice.
- Patients said they were treated with dignity and respect, from the reception desk through to seeing the dentist.
- Records showed there were sufficient numbers of suitably qualified staff to meet the needs of patients.
- Staff had been trained to deal with medical emergencies.
- Emergency medicines, an automated external defibrillator (AED), and oxygen were readily available. An AED is a portable electronic device that automatically diagnoses life threatening irregularities of the heart and delivers an electrical shock to attempt to restore a normal heart rhythm.
- The practice followed the relevant guidance from the Department of Health's: ‘Health Technical Memorandum 01-05 (HTM 01-05) for infection control.
- Patients’ care and treatment was planned and delivered in line with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines.
- Patients said they were involved in making decisions about their treatment, and records in the practice supported this view.
- Options for treatment were identified and explored and discussed with patients.
There were areas where the provider could make improvements and should:
- Review the control of substances hazardous to health (COSHH) file to ensure the data was up to date and kept under review.
- Carry out an audit of patients’ medical history forms to identify that they had been completed in line with practice policy.
- Consider offering patients an appointment after they had been referred to other services to check they have made a full recovery and answer any questions they might have.
- Review the sterilisation procedures, so that it is clear that instruments have been through the decontamination process and sterilised.
Disconnect bottles from water systems when treatment rooms are not in use for an extended period of time.