We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 13 December 2016 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

Chesterton Dental Practice provides NHS treatment to both adults and children. The team consists of three dentists, two dental nurses, a receptionist and practice manager. The practice is situated in a converted residential property and has two treatment rooms, a decontamination room for sterilising dental instruments, a small office, and a reception and waiting area. The practice is part of the Dental Care Group that owns 11 dental practices across East Anglia and was acquired by them in April 2016.

The practice is open Mondays to Fridays from 8am to 5pm.

The practice is registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) as an organisation. One of the directors is the registered manager. A registered manager is a person who is registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. 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.

Our key findings were:

• Information from 26 completed Care Quality Commission comment cards gave us a positive picture of a caring and professional service.

• The practice had systems to help ensure patient safety. These included safeguarding children and adults from abuse, maintaining the required standards of infection prevention and control, and responding to medical emergencies.

• Risk assessment was robust and action was taken to protect staff and patients.

• Patients’ needs were assessed and care was planned and delivered in line with current best practice guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and other published guidance.

• Members of the dental team were up-to-date with their continuing professional development and supported to meet the requirements of their professional registration.

• Audits and reviews were carried out to monitor and improve services,

• There was a clear leadership structure and staff felt supported by management. The practice proactively sought feedback from staff and patients, which it acted upon.

• Although incidents and accidents were recorded, there was little evidence that learning from them was shared across the practice team.

There were areas where the provider could make improvements and should:

• Review the security of prescriptions in the practice and ensure there are systems in place to monitor and track their use.

• Review the practice’s system for the recording, investigating and reviewing incidents or significant events with a view to preventing further occurrences and ensuring that improvements are made as a result