We carried out this announced inspection on 28 April 2017 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

Carillon Dental Care Ltd is located in Loughborough, a town within the Charnwood borough of Leicestershire. It provides NHS and private treatment to patients of all ages.

There is level access for people who use wheelchairs and pushchairs. There is no car parking available on site for patient use, but public car parking is available within short walking distance of the practice.

The dental team includes five dentists, six dental nurses (including two trainees), two dental therapists and a patient care coordinator who works as a receptionist. The practice also has a practice manager, assistant practice manager and a public relations manager. The practice has six treatment rooms.

The practice is owned by a company 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 registered manager at Carillon Dental Care is the practice manager.

In January 2016, the Department of Health (DH) announced the launch of a prototype process as the next stage in the reform of NHS dentistry. Carillon Dental Care Ltd was one of 82 practices in England selected to take part in the Dental Prototype Agreement scheme. The practice has been testing new ways of providing NHS dental care with an emphasis on preventing future dental disease.

The practice management told us on the day of our inspection that they had been appointed to become a training practice for dentists new to general dental practice. This is due to commence in September 2017.

On the day of inspection we collected 24 CQC comment cards filled in by patients. This information gave us a positive view of the practice.

During the inspection we spoke with 3 dentists, 2 dental nurses, 1 patient care coordinator, the practice manager and public relations manager. We looked at practice policies and procedures and other records about how the service is managed.

The practice is open Monday to Friday from 9am and closes at 5pm on Monday, Thursday and Friday. On alternate Tuesdays it closes at 7pm and 5pm and on Wednesday closes at 6pm.

Our key findings were:

• The practice ethos included the provision of high quality and comprehensive range of dental services to the patient population by offering a friendly and professional service.
• Effective leadership was provided by the provider with support from empowered practice management.
• Staff had been trained to deal with emergencies and appropriate medicines and life saving equipment was readily available in accordance with current guidelines.
• The practice appeared clean and well maintained.
• The practice had infection control procedures which reflected current published guidance.
• The practice had effective processes in place and staff knew their responsibilities for safeguarding adults and children living in vulnerable circumstances.
• The practice had adopted a process for the reporting and shared learning when untoward incidents occurred in the practice.
• Clinical staff provided dental care in accordance with current professional and National Institute for Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines.
• The practice were aware of the needs of the local population and took this into account when delivering the service.
• Patients had access to treatment and urgent and emergency care when required.
• Staff received training appropriate to their roles and were supported in their continued professional development (CPD) by the practice.
• Staff we spoke with felt supported by the provider and were committed to providing a quality service to their patients.
• The practice asked staff and patients for feedback about the services they provided. Information we obtained from 24 Care Quality Commission cards provided positive feedback.

We identified areas of notable practice.

• The Public Relations manager, who was previously qualified as a dental nurse, had attended over 100 local education establishments including childrens nurseries, schools and Sure Start centres (support services for disadvantaged families) to deliver oral health education amongst children. Feedback we reviewed praised the practice for the informative educational services delivered.

• The practice was responsive to the needs of those living in vulnerable circumstances. They provided dental care treatment to patients with drug and alcohol problems who were temporarily living in a local residential rehabilitation centre. The practice also provided treatment to young migrants who had recently arrived within the UK. We were shown positive feedback regarding the care and treatment delivered to these patients.