We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 9 September 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.

The Dental Practice is located in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. The practice is based over 3 floors with two treatment rooms and a toilet on the ground floor, a dedicated decontamination room and two treatment rooms on the first floor. There is also a reception area on the ground floor and waiting area on the first floor.

The practice provides NHS and private dental services and treats both adults and children. The practice offers a range of dental services including routine examinations and treatment.

The staff structure of the practice was comprised of four dentists, four dental nurses and a practice manager. The practice was open Monday to Friday from 9.30am to 5.00pm and Saturdays from 9.30am-1pm.

One of the dentists is the registered manager. A registered manager is a person who is registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) 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 CQC inspector and a dental specialist advisor.

We spoke with five patients during our inspection visit. Patients we spoke with were positive about the care they received from the practice. They were complimentary about the friendly and caring attitude of the staff.

Our key findings were:

• Patients’ needs were assessed and care was planned in line with best practice guidance, such as from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).
• Equipment, such as the air compressor, autoclave (steriliser), and X-ray equipment had all been checked for effectiveness and had been regularly serviced.
• Patients indicated that they felt they were listened to and that they received good care from a helpful and patient practice team.
• There was a complaints procedure available for patients.
• The practice did not have evidence that all clinical staff had completed training in the Mental Capacity Act 2005.

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

• Review staff awareness of the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005 and ensure all staff are aware of their responsibilities under the Act as it relates to their role. Review staff training and Continuous Professional Development (CPD) to enable them to be up to date with the core subjects as recommended by the General Dental Council (GDC).
• Review the practice's recruitment policy and procedures to ensure character references for new staff as well as identification are requested and recorded suitably.
• Review the practice’s protocols for the use of rubber dam for root canal treatment giving due regard to guidelines issued by the British Endodontic Society. Review the practice’s infection control procedures and protocols giving due regard to guidelines issued by the Department of Health - Health Technical Memorandum
• 01-05: Decontamination in primary care dental practices and The Health and Social Care Act 2008: ‘Code of Practice about the prevention and control of infections and related guidance’. Undertake a risk assessment for the safe use of sharps as required by Health and Safety (Sharp Instruments in Healthcare) Regulations 2013.