We carried out this announced inspection on 23 May 2017 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.

We told the NHS England area team and Healthwatch that we were inspecting the practice. They did not provide any information.

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

Bhandal Dental Practice, 12 Curdale Road is in Bartley Green, Birmingham and provides NHS treatment to patients of all ages.

There is level access for people who use wheelchairs and pushchairs. On street car parking is available on the roads outside and near the practice.

The dental team includes four dentists, one qualified and one trainee dental nurse and one receptionist. The practice has two 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 12 Curdale Road was present during this inspection. They do not work at this practice on a full time basis.

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

During the inspection we spoke with one dentist, one dental nurse and the receptionist. The registered manager and the clinical governance manager were also present during this inspection to provide support to staff if required. We looked at practice policies and procedures and other records about how the service is managed.

The practice is open: Monday to Friday 8.30am to 6pm and is closed for lunch each day between 1pm and 2pm.

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.

We spoke to and looked at the personnel records of three staff. We also spoke with three people who had used the service and reviewed the medical records of three people.

People we spoke with were very happy with the care and treatment provided by the practice. Their comments included: "The dental practice provides a friendly service, has brilliant staff and is timely with appointments," "The staff are very calming and reassuring; they won't start any treatment unless you are 100% happy."

We found that there were good arrangements for making sure that people using the service were kept safe. The staff had received training in adult and child protection and relevant contact numbers were available for staff to report concerns.

People told us that they were happy with the cleanliness of the practice. We saw that there were good arrangements in place for infection control and for keeping premises and instruments clean. This meant the risk of infection for people using the service was minimised.

We looked at the personnel files of three staff. We found that professional qualifications and registration certificates of staff were up to date. This meant that people using the service could be confident they would be supported by staff who were qualified to provide treatment.

There were good arrangements for making sure that standards were monitored and where necessary improved. These included surveys, audits of services and equipment and regular staff meetings.