We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 7 June 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

Brandhall Dental Care has one dentist who works full time, and two part time dentists, one of whom is the principal dentist and one undertaking dental foundation training. (Dental foundation training is a post qualification training period which graduates need to undertake to work in NHS practice). There are two qualified dental nurses who are registered with the General Dental Council (GDC) and a trainee dental nurse. One of the dental nurses is the practice manager. In addition to these staff there is also a part time hygienist and a receptionist. The practice’s opening hours are 9am to 5pm on Monday to Friday with late night opening on some Wednesdays until 7pm.

Brandhall Dental Care provides NHS and private dental treatment for adults and children. The practice has three dental treatment rooms, two of which are on the ground floor. There is also a separate decontamination room for cleaning, sterilising and packing dental instruments. There was also a reception and waiting area.

The principal dentist is registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) as an individual. 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 comments cards to the practice for patients to complete to tell us about their experience of the practice and during the inspection we spoke with patients. We received feedback from 48 patients who provided an overwhelmingly positive view of the services the practice provides. All of the patients commented that the quality of care was very good.

Our key findings were

• Systems were in place for the recording and learning from significant events and accidents.
• There were sufficient numbers of suitably qualified staff to meet the needs of patients.
• Patients were treated with dignity and respect.
• The practice was visibly clean and well maintained.
• Infection control procedures were in place with infection prevention and control audits being undertaken on a six monthly basis. Staff had access to personal protective equipment such as gloves and aprons.
• There was appropriate equipment for staff to undertake their duties, and equipment was well maintained.
• The provider had emergency medicines in line with the British National Formulary (BNF) guidance for medical emergencies in dental practice.
• Staff had been trained to deal with medical emergencies.
• The appointment system met the needs of patients and waiting times were kept to a minimum.
• Patients received clear explanations about their proposed treatment, costs, benefits and risks and were involved in making decisions.
• Staff demonstrated knowledge of whistleblowing and were confident they would raise a concern about another staff member’s performance if it was necessary.
• The practice was well-led and staff felt involved and worked as a team.
• Governance arrangements were in place for the smooth running of the practice and there was a structured plan in place to audit quality and safety beyond the mandatory audits for infection control and radiography.

This dental practice location is a small dental practice owned and operated by one person. This dental practice is situated in a residential area of Brandhall. The practice is made up of a small team which includes dentists, a hygienist, nurses and a receptionist.

This practice provides a full range of general dental assessments and treatments.

The practice location has three treatment rooms. Two of these rooms are situated on the ground floor which means that the practice can offer treatment to people with mobility restrictions or who may use wheelchairs

People receiving care and treatment from this practice location pay independently or can access their dentistry through NHS costs. The practice has a current contract with the NHS to provide NHS dental care to people.

As part of our review we spoke with two people during our inspection visit and three people by phone. People spoke highly of this dentist practice. People were satisfied with the care and treatment they had received. Below are a few comments people made;

“I am very happy with my care and treatment”.

“The dentist is lovely. They explain everything and put you at ease”.

“It is a lovely practice. They are very polite. They explain everything to you to make you feel comfortable”.

We looked at recent survey comments made by people. Below are a few of the comments that people using this dentist had made;

‘I absolutely have no complaints. I highly recommend this dentist.’

‘Very friendly staff and dentist. They make a traumatic experience much easier. I would highly recommend this practice’.

‘I am very nervous. The dentist was gentle, calming and direct. I would not hesitate to recommend this practice’.

Evidence that we gathered during this review confirmed that people are assessed to decide what dental and oral healthcare needs they may have. Treatments that people may need are discussed with them and are carried out in a satisfactory way.

Overall we found good practices regarding infection control and cleaning procedures however, we identified some areas where improvements should be made to prevent risk of infection.