Archived: R Patel & Associates Weavers Court Dental Surgery

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 15 October 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

R Patel and Associates, Weavers Court Dental Surgery provides mainly NHS dental care with a small amount of private work. The practice has three surgeries and three dentists work at the practice. The dentists are supported by three dental nurses. There is a practice manager who is also responsible for managing another practice owned by the provider and shares their time working at each of them.

The lead dentist is the responsible person. This is a person who is registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘responsible persons’ and 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 the inspection we spoke with three patients who told us that they were satisfied with the services provided at the practice. They told us that the services provided by the practice were excellent, that staff were kind and caring and that appointments were readily available. They told us they were treated with dignity and respect, their privacy was maintained and they were involved in the decisions about their care and treatment.

We viewed twelve comments cards that we had left for patients to complete prior to our inspection. The cards all contained positive comments about the services provided. Patients said that they were satisfied with the appointment system, that treatment was available in the event of an emergency and that nervous patients were supported and reassure by the dentists to reduce their stress.

Our key findings were:

• There were systems in place to manage safety incidents and complaints and to cascade any learning from them to staff.
• Staff had been trained to handle medical emergencies. Sufficient supplies of emergency medicines and equipment were readily available.
• A safeguarding policy was in place to support staff and all staff had received safeguarding training. A lead for safeguarding had been appointed.
• National patient safety and medicine alerts were received, disseminated to relevant staff and acted upon where required.
• Recruitment processes followed published guidance. Appropriate documentation was in place. All staff had received disclosure and barring service checks.
• Staff had been appropriately trained and received an annual appraisal that supported their development needs and was tailored to the objectives of the practice.
• Infection control procedures followed published guidance and staff were following the correct decontamination procedures.
• Treatments and consultations followed guidance from the National Institute for Health Care Excellence. Relevant dental health prevention advice was given to patients.
• An effective complaints process was in place and this was readily available for patients to view.
• Patients were treated with dignity and respect and staff were polite and courteous. The practice had made reasonable adjustments to support patients with a disability.
• The appointment system met the needs of patients including access to emergency dental care.
• There was visible, effective leadership at the practice. Standards were clear and these were being monitored.
• Patient feedback was sought through the use of an annual patient survey, the NHS Friends and Family test and the monitoring of complaints.
• Staff were consulted about changes at the practice and their views and ideas sought at team meetings and appraisals.