We carried out this announced inspection on 17 September 2018 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

Adel dental practice is in Adel, Leeds and provides private dental treatment to adults and NHS care for children.

There is level access for people who use wheelchairs and those with pushchairs. Car parking is on site and public transport facilities are available near the practice.

The dental team includes four dentists, four dental nurses (three of whom are trainees),  two dental hygiene therapists, a practice manager and a receptionist. The practice has four treatment rooms.

The practice is owned by a partnership 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 Adel dental practice is the principal dentist.

During the inspection we spoke with two dentists (including the principal dentist), two dental nurses, the receptionist and the practice manager. We looked at the practice’s policies and procedures and other records about how the service is managed.

The practice is open: Monday to Friday 8:30am to 5:30pm and Saturday 8:30am to 12:30pm.

On the day of inspection we collected 50 CQC comment cards filled in by patients.

Our key findings were:

• The practice appeared clean and well maintained.
• The practice staff had infection control procedures which reflected published guidance.
• Staff knew how to deal with emergencies. Appropriate medicines and life-saving equipment were available.
• The practice had systems to help them manage risk.
• The provider had staff recruitment procedures in place.
• The practice staff had suitable safeguarding processes and staff knew their responsibilities for safeguarding adults and children.
• 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 providing preventive care and supporting patients to ensure better oral health.
• The appointment system met patients’ needs.
• The practice had effective leadership and a culture of continuous improvement.
• Staff felt involved and supported and worked well as a team.
• The practice asked staff and patients for feedback about the services they provided.
• The practice staff dealt with complaints positively and efficiently.
• Clinical and non-clinical audits were completed.
• The practice staff had suitable information governance arrangements.

During the visit we spoke with patients who use the service and we also looked at the registered provider’s patient feedback forms.

Patients that used the clinic told us that they were happy with the service provided. They felt they were given enough information about their treatment options and were able to ask all the questions they wanted to. They found the staff to be friendly and reported that they were treated with respect and their privacy was maintained. They said that the clinic was clean.