Mr P L Mason - Orthodontics

We carried out this announced inspection on 10 December 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 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

Mr P L Mason – Orthodontics dental practice is in Edgbaston in Birmingham and provides NHS and private orthodontic treatment for adults and children.

The dental practice is located on the first floor in a listed building. There is level access to the ground floor for people who use wheelchairs and those with pushchairs but there is no lift to the first floor due to building restrictions. Car parking spaces, including dedicated parking for people with disabilities, are available immediately outside the practice.

The dental team includes two dentists, one dental nurse and one receptionist who is also the practice administrator / co-ordinator. The dental nurse had been on long-term leave and was not available on the day of our visit. During their absence, one of the dentists supported the other dentist by carrying out chairside and nursing duties. The practice administrator carried out reception duties. The practice has one treatment room.

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.

On the day of inspection, we collected 19 CQC comment cards filled in by patients.

During the inspection we spoke with two dentists and the practice administrator. We looked at practice policies and procedures and other records about how the service is managed.

The practice is open on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays between 9am and 4:30pm.

Our key findings were:

• The practice appeared to be visibly clean and well-maintained.
• The provider had infection control procedures which reflected published guidance. Improvements were made to strengthen processes within 48 hours of our inspection.
• Staff knew how to deal with emergencies. Appropriate medicines and life-saving equipment were available. A few items were missing but these were immediately ordered.
• 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.

• 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 the clinicians take into account the guidance provided by the Faculty of General Dental Practice when completing dental care records.
• Implement an effective system for receiving and responding to patient safety alerts, recalls and rapid response reports issued by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, the Central Alerting System and other relevant bodies, such as Public Health England.
• Take action to ensure audits of radiography and infection prevention and control are undertaken at regular intervals to improve the quality of the service. Practice should also ensure that, where appropriate, audits have documented learning points and the resulting improvements can be demonstrated.