We carried out this announced inspection on 5 September 2018 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.

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

BUPA – Market Place, Bolsover is in the centre of the market town of Bolsover in north Derbyshire. The practice provides both NHS and private dental treatment to adults and children.

There is level access from the street into the building, this is of benefit for people who use wheelchairs and those with pushchairs. There is car parking available in the area around the practice.

The dental team includes 10 dentists (including a specialist in sedation, a specialist in endodontics and a specialist in implantology), one dental hygienist, two dental hygiene therapists, eight qualified dental nurses, one trainee dental nurse, six reception staff, one practice co-ordinator and one practice manager. The practice has six treatment rooms all which are all located on the ground floor.

The practice is owned by an organisation 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 practice manager is the registered manager.

On the day of inspection, we received feedback from 51 patients.

During the inspection we spoke with two dentists, one dental hygienist, three dental nurses and the practice manager. We looked at practice policies and procedures and other records about how the service is managed.

The practice is open: Monday: 8am to 7pm; Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday: 7.30am to 7pm; Friday: 8am to 6pm. The practice is open one Saturday per month. The practice is closed on Sundays.

Our key findings were:

• The practice appeared clean and well maintained.
• The provider 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 to patients and staff.
• The practice staff had suitable safeguarding processes and staff knew their responsibilities for safeguarding vulnerable adults and children.
• The provider 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 provider was providing preventive care and supporting patients to ensure better oral health.
• The decontamination room was not well ventilated which resulted in a higher working temperature for staff using this room.
• The appointment system met patients’ needs.
• The practice had effective leadership and culture of continuous improvement.
• 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 provider dealt with complaints positively and efficiently.
• The provider had suitable information governance arrangements.

There were areas where the provider could make improvements. They should:

• Review the suitability of the premises and ensure all areas are fit for the purpose for which they are being used. In particular review the ventilation in the decontamination room.

The dental practice had approximately 10,500 patients at the time of our inspection in September 2012.

We spoke with two National Health Service patients at Oasis Dental Care. Both patients said that they were very happy with their dental treatment. They said that they had been attending the surgery for several years. One patient told us: “The dentist always explains what they are doing or what needs doing.” A second patient said: “I always ask because I want to know, but they tell me anyway, and always answer my questions.”

We asked both patients if they consented to their treatment. Both patients said that they provided written consent before any treatment started, and they also gave verbal consent during their treatment. The patients said that they were made aware of the cost of any treatment before it started. They also said that their dentist always explained the options available including the costs.

The patients spoke very positively about the care and treatment that they had received during their time as patients. One patient said: “I’m very happy. The dentist has time for each individual patient. They will talk differently to different patients to calm them down and reassure them. Everyone is different, and the dentist treats them that way.” Another patient told us that they had no concerns about coming to the dentist saying: “I’m quite happy with everything, they are brilliant.”