Mydentist - Queen Street - Louth Also known as mydentist

We carried out this announced inspection on 23 October 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 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 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

Mydentist – Queen Street – Louth Dental Practice is in the centre of the market town of Louth and provides NHS and private dental treatment to adults and children. The dental services include implantology and orthodontics.

The dental team includes two dentists, one specialist implantologist, two specialist orthodontists, two dental hygienists, three dental nurses (including two students), one receptionist, one treatment co-ordinator and a practice manager. The practice has four treatment rooms and an instrument decontamination room. Two of the treatment rooms are located on the ground floor. There is level access into the practice for people who use wheelchairs and those with pushchairs. Car parking spaces are available near the practice in pay and display car parks including spaces for blue badge holders and those with restricted mobility.

The practice is owned by a company and as a condition of registration must have a person registered with the Care Quality Commission 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 Mydentist – Queen Street, Louth is the practice manager.

On the day of inspection, we collected 47 CQC comment cards filled in by patients. The comment cards provided positive feedback about the practice.

During the inspection we spoke with one dentist, one specialist implantologist, one specialist orthodontist, one dental nurse, the receptionist, the treatment co-ordinator, the practice manager and a manager from the provider organisation. We looked at practice policies and procedures and other records about how the service is managed.

The practice is open:

Monday to Friday: 9am to 5pm.

Our key findings were:

• The practice appeared 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 suitable safeguarding processes and staff knew their responsibilities for safeguarding vulnerable adults and children.
• The provider had thorough staff recruitment procedures.
• 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.
• The practice was child-friendly, and steps were taken to put young people at ease and to make visiting the dentist a positive experience.
• Staff provided preventive care and supporting patients to ensure better oral health.
• The appointment system took account of patients’ needs.
• The provider had effective leadership and culture of continuous improvement.
• Staff felt involved and supported and worked well 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 suitable information governance arrangements.