We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 21 December 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

A3 Dental is located in the London borough of Westminster and mainly provides dental implant treatment to patients who specifically need this service.

The staff structure of the practice comprises of nine dentists, five dental nurses, a receptionists and a practice manager.

The premises consists of two treatment rooms, a dedicated decontamination room, a waiting area and an Orthopantomogram (OPG) room An OPG (or orthopantomogram) is a rotational panoramic dental radiograph that allows the clinician to view the upper and lower jaws and teeth. It is normally a 2-dimensional representation of these. The practice opening hours were 8am-6.00pm Monday to Friday and 9am-4pm Saturdays.

The provider who owned the practice was the registered manager. 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.

The inspection took place over one day and was carried out by a lead inspector and a dental specialist advisor.

Before the inspection we sent Care Quality Commission (CQC) comment cards to the practice for patients to complete to tell us about their experience of the practice. We received 30 completed cards and spoke with four patients on the day of the inspection .The feedback we received from patients gave a positive view of the services the practice provides. All of the patients commented that the quality of care was good.

Our key findings were:

• There were effective processes in place to reduce and minimise the risk and spread of infection.
• Patients’ needs were assessed and care was planned in line with current guidance such as from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).
• Patients were involved in their care and treatment planning.
• There was appropriate equipment for staff to undertake their duties and equipment was well maintained.
• Patients told us that staff were caring and treated them with dignity and respect.
• There were processes in place for patients to give their comments and feedback about the service including making complaints and compliments.
• Governance arrangements were in place and there was a clear vision for the smooth running of the practice.

There were areas where the provider could make improvements and should:

• Review recruitment procedures to ensure accurate, complete and detailed records are maintained for all staff.
• Review the practice's protocols for medicines management and ensure all medicines are stored safely and securely.

People who use the service told us they were very happy with the service provided by A3 Dental. They described the service as “highly professional and affordable”. People we spoke to said they have recommended the practice to both friends and family.