We carried out this announced inspection on 09 November 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

Castilian Street Dental Practice is located in Northampton, the East Midlands. It provides NHS and private treatment to adults and children. At the time of our inspection, the practice was accepting new NHS patients.

The practice provides general dentistry, dental implants and orthodontics.

There is stepped access to the premises which makes it unsuitable for people who use wheelchairs. It is not possible to install a ramp at the entrance. People are informed of the restriction when they first make contact with the practice. Car parking is available on the streets and public car parks within close vicinity to the practice.

The dental team includes four dentists, two dental nurses, one trainee dental nurse and three receptionists. The practice has three treatment rooms; one is on the ground floor.

The practice is an approved training practice for dentists new to general dental practice. The two principal dentists are trainers.

The practice is owned by a partnership 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 Castilian Street Dental Practice is one of the principal dentists.

On the day of inspection we collected 45 CQC comment cards filled in by patients.

During the inspection we spoke with two dentists, one dental nurse (who worked as the head nurse) and one receptionist. We looked at practice policies and procedures, patient feedback and other records about how the service is managed.

The practice is open: Monday to Thursday from 9am to 5.30pm and Friday from 9am to 4pm. The practice closes at lunchtimes from 1pm to 2pm.

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 robust 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 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 a complaint received positively and efficiently.
• The provider had suitable information governance arrangements.

We spoke with six people who were happy with the service they had received from Castilian Street Dental Practice. One person told us that they had recommended this practice to family and friends as they were pleased with the treatment they had received. Another person told us that the dentist was very good and had helped them to feel more relaxed.

We found that the practice was well managed and that all the documentation was very clear and well organised.