We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 2 October 2015 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

Smilestyle Dental Care was registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in November 2014 to provide dental services to patients in north Nottingham and the surrounding areas. The practice provides both NHS and private dental treatment, with approximately 90% being NHS patients. Services provided include general dentistry, dental hygiene, teeth whitening, crowns and bridges, and root canal treatment.

The practice is open Monday from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm; Tuesday from 08:00 am to 5:00 pm; Wednesday from 09:00 am to 5:00 pm; Thursday from 09:00 am to 5:00 pm; Friday 09:00 am to 4:30 pm. The practice is closed each day from 1:00pm to 2:00 pm for lunch.

Access for urgent treatment outside of opening hours is usually through the NHS 111 telephone line.

The practice has three dentists; one hygienist/ therapist; four dental nurses, three of whom are trainee dental nurses; and one practice manager.

The practice did not have a registered manager at the time of our inspection. A registered manager is a person who is registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) 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. The practice manager informed CQC shortly after the inspection that an application to be the registered manager had been submitted.

We received feedback from 20 patients about the services provided. We saw that most of the feedback was positive. However, there were four negative comments. Two related to the dentist not running to time, one to not always seeing the same dentist and the fourth to computer problems. All of the negative comments we received also came with positives from the same patients about the quality of the treatment, and the friendliness of the staff. Most patients said they were very happy with the dental service they received. Patients said they were treated well at the practice, and that staff were approachable. Dental staff explained treatments including the costs, and patients were able to ask questions.

Our key findings were:

• The practice had systems for recording accidents, significant events and complaints.
• Learning from any complaints and significant incidents were recorded and learning was shared with staff.
• All staff at the practice had received whistle blowing training and were aware of these procedures and the actions required.
• Patients said they were satisfied with the dental service they received.
• Patients said they were treated with dignity and respect.
• Records showed there were sufficient numbers of suitably qualified staff to meet the needs of patients. However, patients said that on occasions thee were not enough dentists, and appointments had been cancelled at short notice as a result.
• Staff had been trained to deal with medical emergencies.
• Emergency medicines, an automated external defibrillator (AED) and oxygen were readily available. An AED is a portable electronic device that automatically diagnoses life threatening irregularities of the heart and delivers an electrical shock to attempt to restore a normal heart rhythm.
• The practice followed the relevant guidance from the Department of Health’s: ‘Health Technical Memorandum 01-05 (HTM 01-05) for infection control.
• Patients’ care and treatment was planned and delivered in line with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines.
• The practice involved patients in making decisions about their treatment
• Options for treatment were identified and explored and discussed with patients.

Patients’ confidentiality was maintained.