The dental practice on Quay Road is part of the mydentist Group, the UK’s largest dental provider, which runs more than 650 practices across the country.
The inspection took place on 31st October and showed the practice to be meeting all requirements for being safe, effective, caring, well led and responsive to people’s needs.
The CQC use notable practice to recognise dental care that goes above and beyond the regulations, essential for the reforms of dental care services across the UK. Since it was introduced in October 2016, 26 practices have been identified as notable upon inspection by the CQC, of which 15 per cent have been part of the mydentist group; including their practices in Hull, Barnsley and Torquay.
Summarising their findings, the CQC report stated, “We identified areas of notable practice including a commitment to improving outcomes for patients through effective leadership within the practice, staff felt empowered and were confident in their roles which had a positive impact on staff, patients and the local community.”
A big contribution to the success is the practice manager Ingrid Perry and her involvement with the charity Teeth Team, which she established herself. Teeth Team support schools locally and nationally in areas of deprivation. It works with schools to raise awareness of the importance of good oral health and provides toothbrushes, toothpaste and preventative fluoride treatments to over 30,000 vulnerable children.
The practice also runs an In Practice Prevention (IPP) programme whereby early interventions reduce the risk of dental decay in very young children. Through a series of visits the children are given dietary advice, tooth brushing instructions and applications of fluoride varnish which leads to an increase in knowledge and behaviour change, impacting positively on oral health.
The report stated, “The prevention programmes they had embedded within the practice empowered staff to learn new skills. Evidence was available to show this programme has reduced the need for access to hospital admissions for general anaesthesia by 19.5 per cent. We believe this to be notable practice which is worth sharing.”
Commenting on her practice’s success, Ingrid Perry, practice manager, said, “I am delighted with the award of notable practice as it highlights the importance of preventative initiatives, particularly for young children, which is something the whole practice has thoroughly embraced. Providing the highest standards of care is our top priority so this recognition will mean a huge amount to everyone who works at mydentist.”
Nyree Whitley, group clinical director said, “We are incredibly proud to have our fourth notable CQC practice and it is testament to the outstanding work of the entire practice team, and reflective of the excellent standard of care they deliver to their patients. Supporting our practices we have our central compliance team who also deserve recognition for assisting our practices in achieving and maintaining their regulatory compliance."