We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 30 November 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

The practice opened in 2009 and is on the main street in Burbage. It is a large modern practice with all of the practice on the ground level, including three treatment rooms, a decontamination room, and a patient waiting area at reception. There is free parking available on the streets around the practice. The front of the practice has an intercom for patients that may need assistance such as patients using wheelchairs and those with limited mobility to enter the practice. Services provided include general dentistry, dental hygiene and cosmetic dentistry.

There are three dentists, two dental hygienists, five dental nurses and a practice manager. The dental nurses also cover reception duties.

The practice provides both NHS and private dental treatment to both adults and to children. The practice is open Monday to Friday from 8.30am to 5.30pm; the practice closes at 12.30pm for one hour at lunch.

The area manager is the registered manager. A registered manager is a person who is registered with the Care Quality Commission 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.

We received feedback from 54 patients about the services provided. The majority of the feedback reflected positive comments about the staff and the services provided. Patients commented that the practice was clean and tidy; they found the staff offered a friendly, polite and professional service and were helpful and caring. They said explanations were clear and that they were always informed of what was happening which made the dental experience as comfortable as possible. Patients who were nervous commented how the staff made them feel at ease. However there were a minority of comments whilst reflecting positive experiences also mentioned that at times the dentists were running late and their appointments were therefore delayed.

The practice was providing care which was safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Our key findings were:

• Staff had received safeguarding training and knew the processes to follow to raise any concerns.
• There were sufficient numbers of suitably qualified staff to meet the needs of patients.
• Infection control procedures were in place and staff had access to personal protective equipment.
• Patients’ care and treatment was planned and delivered in line with evidence based guidelines and current legislation.
• Patients received clear explanations about their proposed treatment, costs, benefits and risks.
• Patients were treated with dignity and respect and confidentiality was maintained.
• The appointment system met the needs of patients and waiting times were kept to a minimum where possible.
• There was an effective complaints system.
• The practice was well-led and staff felt involved and worked as a team.
• Staff had been trained to deal with medical emergencies and appropriate medicines and life-saving equipment were readily available and accessible.
• Governance systems were effective although policies and procedures were not all dated therefore we could not say how up-to-date those policies were.

We spoke with two people following their consultation or treatment and asked them if their treatment options had been explained to them in a way they understood. They told us treatment options and fees payable (where applicable), had been explained and they had made an informed decision about whether to go ahead with treatment. One person told us the dentist had explained what treatment they recommended and had explained the procedure involved to them.

People's comments included:- “they’re very good, polite and the dentist explained what was going to happen”, “they explained what was happening at each stage of my treatment” and “they’re very efficient and I would recommend it”.

We found that care and treatment was planned and delivered in a way that ensured people’s safety and welfare.

The service undertook quarterly audits to confirm continued compliance with decontamination regulations and infection prevention best practice. We looked at these audits and saw that the service was meeting the recommended standards.

We found the provider was compliant with the essential standards of quality and safety that we inspected.