We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 15 March 2016 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

Bason and Gathercole-Uttoxeter Dental Practice is a mixed dental practice providing NHS and private treatment for both adults and children. The practice is situated in a converted commercial property. The practice had five dental treatment rooms and a separate decontamination room for cleaning, sterilising and packing dental instruments. Dental care was provided on the first floor of the accommodation and was accessible by lift and stairs.

The practice was open 8.30am – 5.30pm Monday to Thursday and Friday 8.30am to 1.30pm. The practice has six dentists who are supported by six qualified dental nurses, two trainee dental nurses, two dental hygienists, two receptionists and a practice manager who also acts as a dental nurse.

The practice manager is 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.

Before the inspection we sent Care Quality Commission comment cards to the practice for patients to complete to tell us about their experience of the practice. We received feedback from 12 patients. These provided a positive view of the services the practice provides. Patients commented on the high quality of care provided by the dentists, the friendly nature of all staff and the cleanliness of the practice.

Our key findings were:

• The practice philosophy was to provide friendly patient centred care with an emphasis on the prevention of dental disease at all times.
• Staff had been trained to handle emergencies, appropriate medicines and life-saving equipment was readily available in accordance with current guidelines.
• The practice appeared clean and well maintained.
• Infection control procedures mainly followed published guidance.
• The practice had a safeguarding lead with effective processes in place for safeguarding adults and children living in vulnerable circumstances.
• Staff reported incidents and kept records of these which the practice used for shared learning.
• Dentists provided dental care in accordance with current professional and National Institute for Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines
• The service was aware of the needs of the local population and took these into account in how the practice was run.
• Patients could access treatment as well as urgent and emergency care when required.
• Staff recruitment files contained essential information in relation to Regulation 18, Schedule 3 of Health & Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2015.
• Staff had received training appropriate to their roles and were supported in their continued professional development (CPD) by the practice manager and practice owner.
• Staff we spoke to felt supported by the practice owner and practice manager and were committed to providing a quality service to their patients.
• The practice owner provided effective clinical leadership for staff working at the practice whilst the practice manager provided effective business leadership at the practice.
• The practice reviewed and dealt with complaints according to their practice policy.

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

• Review the protocols of Continuing Professional Development by introducing a more formalised system of staff appraisal with appropriate documentation.
• Review the system for identifying and diposing of out-of-date stock by introducing a stock rotation system for monitoring the expiry dates of pouched processed instruments.
• Review the system for identifying of out-of-date stock by introducing a more regular monitoring system of the emergency oxygen cylinder.

We carried out this inspection to check on the care and welfare of people using this service. Our inspection was discussed and arranged two days in advance. This was to ensure that we had time to see and speak to staff working at the practice, as well as people registered with the service. We consulted the local PCT and reviewed the comments on Choices NHS website prior to our visit. to receive feedback about the service.

The practice had a current contract with the NHS to provide NHS dental care to people. People could also choose to pay for private treatment which was outside the agreed treatments of the NHS.

Treatment could be arranged at a convenient time, and people told us they did not experience any lengthy delays. People could consider their treatment options and any costs involved and did not have to make a decision immediately.

Everyone we spoke with told us they were happy with the service and would recommend the practice to family and friends. People we spoke with had used the practice for many years and one person told us, “I have always received great care here. My teeth are in good condition and I put that down to the treatment I received over the years.” Another person said, “My teeth are so much better now. They showed me how to clean them properly, and I get less problems now. They always tell me what they’re doing and I never worry about coming here.”