We carried out this announced inspection on 29 August 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 have any relevant information to share with us regarding this dental practice.

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

Blagreaves Dental Practice is located in the south western suburbs of the city of Derby and provides mostly NHS dental treatment (90%) to patients of all ages.

The practice is located on two floors floor with ramped access to the front door. There are three treatment rooms, two of which are located on the ground floor. The practice has its own car park to the rear of the premises.

The dental team includes three dentists; two dental therapists; seven qualified dental nurses; one trainee dental nurse and one practice manager.

The practice is owned by an individual who is the principal dentist there. They have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated regulations about how the practice is run.

On the day of inspection we collected eight CQC comment cards filled in by patients. This information gave us a positive view of the practice.

During the inspection we spoke with two dentist, three dental nurses and a receptionist. We looked at practice policies and procedures and other records about how the service is managed.

The practice is open: Monday: 7:15 am to 6:30 pm, Tuesday: 7:15 am to 12:30 pm, Wednesday: 7:15 am to 5 pm, Thursday: 7:15 am to 5 pm and Friday: 7:15 am to 6 pm

Our key findings were:

• The practice was clean and well maintained.
• The practice had infection control procedures which followed published guidance.
• Patients provided positive feedback about the service and the staff.
• Staff knew how to deal with emergencies. Appropriate medicines and life-saving equipment were available.
• The practice had systems to help them manage risks in the practice, particularly with regard to health and safety.
• The practice had suitable safeguarding processes. Staff had been trained and 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 measures 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 with people who use the service. They told us staff were friendly and approachable and spoke to them in a respectful way. People we spoke with told us staff treated them with dignity and communicated well. 2one person told us “from the minute you enter the surgery they treat you well”.

People told us they had discussed the treatment options available to them and felt they were able to make informed choices about their treatment. This shows that people who use the service understood the care and treatment choices available to them. None of the people we spoke with told us they had any difficulty in making appointments. One person told us “I had to have a particular course of treatment and they made all the appointments around my work schedule”.

They told us they felt the practice delivered care and treatment in a way that met their needs. People told us they felt safe at the service and never seen anything of concern.

People told us they felt the practice was clean. People told us staff always wore gloves and other protective clothing to prevent cross contamination; this was confirmed by our observation on the day.

People told us they had the opportunity to complete patient comment forms. We saw a patient information leaflet contained information about opening times, emergency contacts and the complaints procedure.