Updated 2 December 2021
We undertook a follow up focused inspection of Delahays Dental Practice on 12 November 2021. This inspection was carried out to review in detail the actions taken by the registered provider to improve the quality of care and to confirm that the practice was now meeting legal requirements.
The inspection was led by a CQC inspector who was supported by a specialist dental adviser.
We undertook a focused follow inspection of Delahays Dental Practice on 19 February 2021 under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. We found the registered provider was not providing well led care and was in breach of Regulation 17 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. You can read our report of that inspection by selecting the 'all reports' link for Delahays Dental Practice on our website www.cqc.org.uk.
As part of this inspection we asked:
• Is it well-led?
When one or more of the five questions are not met, we require the service to make improvements and send us an action plan. We then inspect again after a reasonable interval, focusing on the areas where improvement was required.
Are services well-led?
We found this practice was providing well-led care in accordance with the relevant regulations.
The provider had made improvements in relation to the regulatory breaches we found at our inspection on 19 February 2021.
Background
Delahays Dental Practice is in Hale, Cheshire and provides NHS and private dental treatment for adults and children.
The practice is located on the first floor. Access is not possible for people who use wheelchairs. On street parking is available near the practice.
The dental team includes two dentists, three dental nurses, a dental hygienist, and two receptionists. The team is supported by a finance and administrative manager and an administrative assistant. The practice has two treatment rooms.
The practice is owned by an individual who is the principal dentist there. They have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated regulations about how the practice is run.
During the inspection we spoke with the principal dentist, three dental nurses and the finance and administrative manager. We looked at practice policies and procedures and other records about how the service is managed.
The practice is open:
Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday 9am to 1pm and 2pm to 5.30 pm.
Tuesday 9am to 1pm and 2pm to 4pm.
Our key findings were:
- The provider had infection control procedures which reflected published guidance.
- The provider had standard operating procedures in line with national guidance on COVID-19. The systems to screen patients prior to attending could be improved.
- Staff knew how to deal with emergencies. Emergency medicines and life-saving equipment were available in line with guidance.
- Systems were in place to help them identify and manage risk to patients and staff.
- Governance systems introduced after the previous inspection were complete and more established.
- Staff recruitment procedures had been improved in line with current legislation.
- The clinical staff provided patients’ care and treatment in line with current guidelines. The documentation of this had improved and would benefit from ingoing improvement.
- Improvements to be made to ensure all clinicians follow guidance on the assessment of, and promoting the maintenance of good oral health.
There were areas where the provider could make improvements. They should:
- Take action to ensure the clinicians carry out patient assessments and ensure they are in compliance with current legislation and take into account relevant nationally recognised evidence-based guidance. In particular, guidelines issued by the Department of Health publication ‘Delivering better oral health: an evidence-based toolkit for prevention’ when promoting the maintenance of good oral health.