We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 5 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

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 5 November 2015 at Cannock Dental Practice.

Dental services have been provided from the location for a number of years, the current provider has provided services at the practice for around six years.

The practice is situated in Cannock town centre with car parking nearby. Access to the practice is by stairs as it is situated on a first floor level above commercial premises.

The practice provides dental care and treatment to registered patients Monday to Friday 9am to 1pm and 2pm to 5:30pm. At the time of the inspection the practice had around 3,500 patients with an approximate funding basis of 60% NHS and 40% private.

The practice has three dentists (principal, associate and foundation) working a variety of clinical sessions over a week. A dental hygienist and five qualified dental nurses complete the clinical team. The practice manager is a qualified dental nurse who splits their time between this and another practice. A receptionist and cleaner assist in maintaining the day to day running of the practice.

The principal dentist is the registered provider. A registered provider is registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered providers have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the practice is run.

Fifty patients provided feedback about the practice. All the feedback we received from patients was positive, including access to appointments, their care and treatment and all made complimentary remarks about their overall experience of the practice.

Our key findings were:

• Patients told us that their care and treatment was explained and they felt involved in decisions about their treatment.
• The appointments system met the needs of patients.
• Patients received clear explanations and written information about their proposed treatment, costs, benefits and risks and were involved in making decisions about them.
• The practice sought feedback from staff and patients about the services they provided.
• The practice managed risks well.

We visited the service on 28 May 2012. We arranged our visit over the telephone three working days before we arrived. This was done to ensure that relevant staff were available to talk with us.

We met with the practice manager two dental nurses and Mr Moore, the dentist who was also the registered owner. We were introduced to the receptionist. There were two dentists and three dental nurses on duty, the dental surgery was busy at the time of our visit. We saw that a television was playing in the reception area, which might help put nervous patients at ease whilst they were waiting to see the dentist.

As part of the review process we spoke with four people over the telephone after our visit and two people who were at the dental practice on the day of our visit. We asked people about their experiences of using the dental service. People were asked if staff were friendly and welcoming, if they were given sufficient information about any treatment on offer and whether any treatment options and costs were explained. One person said, “they tell you exactly everything about what you could have done, what is going to happen and how much it will cost.” Another person said that at a recent visit there had been some confusion regarding treatment that the dentist was going to undertake. The person could not remember agreeing to the procedure that was to be performed. No treatment was given and the person said that their teeth were fine. This person said that they did not wish to make a complaint. During our discussion it was evident that this person was generally happy with the service provided at this practice.

We were told that the surgery was always clean and that dental staff wore disposable gloves, masks and aprons when providing treatment. People said that they were given eye protection and bibs to wear when they were having treatment.

Everyone spoken with said that they could get an appointment when they needed one. We were told that if you were in any pain you could get an appointment immediately. When an appointment was needed for a routine check up the surgery wrote to people. One person said that they sometimes had difficulty getting through to the surgery to make an appointment. This person said “Sometimes they are busy and it is difficult to get through on the phone but that is because they are such a good service.”