We carried out this announced inspection on 20 June 2016 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

Barbican Dental Centre is in the City of London and provides predominantly NHS treatment to patients of all ages.

There is level access for people who use wheelchairs and those with pushchairs.

The dental team includes six part time dentists, three dental nurses, three trainee dental nurses, a practice manager, business manager and one dental hygienist. All the dental nurses perform reception duties as well. The practice has two treatment rooms.

The practice is owned by a company 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 Barbican Dental Centre was the principal dentist.

On the day of inspection we collected 21 CQC comment cards filled in by patients and spoke with three other patients. This information gave us a positive view of the practice.

During the inspection we spoke with two dentists, two dental nurses, the practice manager and the business manager. We looked at practice policies and procedures and other records about how the service is managed.

The practice is open: 9.00am to 6.00pm Monday to Fridays.

Our key findings were:

• The practice was clean and well maintained.
• The practice 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 practice had suitable safeguarding processes and staff knew their responsibilities for safeguarding adults and children.
• The practice had thorough staff recruitment procedures.
• 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 appointment system met patients’ needs.
• The practice had effective leadership. 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 dealt with complaints positively and efficiently.

During this inspection we spoke with five people who used the service, two dentists, a practice manager and two dental nurses. People using the service told us they were pleased with the quality of their care and treatment, and they would recommend the service to their friends and families. One person using the service told us, "I first came here when it opened. The way they explain things is excellent, the dental staff are really helpful and I couldn't ask for more" and another person said, "my whole family has been happy with the service. I love this place as it is the best dentist I have ever been to and it's a real asset for the local community."

The service had appropriate policies and practices in place to protect children and vulnerable adults from the risk of abuse.

There were systems in place to make sure the cleanliness of equipment and the premises were maintained.

Staff were given support by the practice to help them attend training, including their required continuous professional development (CPD) training. People using the service told us they knew how to make a complaint and were confident that any complaint would be taken seriously by the provider.