Archived: Market Place Dentistry

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 6 October 2016 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

This practice provides both NHS (25%) and private (75%) treatment to patients of all ages.

The dental practice is situated on the first floor of a building in the centre of Thirsk, North Yorkshire. Due to the surgery being based on the first floor it is unable to accommodate patients with restrictive mobility. There are alternative dentists in the Thirsk and the Northallerton area who accommodate disabled access.

The practice hasthree treatment rooms, office, waiting/ reception area, a decontamination room and toilet facilities. There is public parking available in the centre of Thirsk.

The practice has a principal dentist and two associate dentists,a dental hygienist, practice manager, five dental nurses and two reception staff.

The practice is open Monday-Friday 9am -5pm, with late night opening on Monday until 7pm and first Saturday in the month from 9-12pm.

The principal dentist is the registered manager with the Care Quality Commission (CQC). 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.

Before the inspection we sent CQC comment cards to the practice for patients to complete to tell us about their experience of the practice. We received feedback from seven patients who all gave positive comments about the care and treatment received at the practice. They told us they could access appointments and emergency care easily and that staff were caring and sensitive to their needs.

Our key findings were:

• The premises were visibly clean and free from clutter.
• An infection prevention and control policy was in place and sterilisation procedures followed recommended guidance.

• Staff had received safeguarding training, knew how to recognise signs of abuse and how to report it. They had very good systems in place to work closely and share information with the local safeguarding team.
• There were sufficient numbers of suitably qualified staff to meet the needs of patients.
• Staff were qualified and had received training appropriate to their roles.
• Treatment was provided in line with current best practice guidelines including the Faculty of General Dental Practice (FGDP) and National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).
• Oral health advice and treatment were provided in-line with the ‘Delivering Better Oral Health’ toolkit (DBOH).
• The practice had systems to assess and manage risks to patients, including infection prevention and control and health and safety.
• Patients received clear explanations about their proposed treatment, costs, benefits and risks and were involved in making decisions about it.
• We observed that patients were treated with kindness and respect by staff. Staff ensured there was sufficient time to explain fully the care and treatment they were providing in a way patients understood.
• Patients were able to make routine and emergency appointments when needed.
• The practice had a complaints system in place and there was an openness and transparency in how these were dealt with.
• There were clearly defined leadership roles within the practice and staff told us that they felt supported, appreciated and comfortable to raise concerns or make suggestions.