We carried out this announced inspection on 11 July 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

Church Lane Dental Practice is in Stafford and provides NHS and private treatment to adults and children. There are two services provided by two different providers at this location. This report only relates to the provision of general dental care and orthodontic treatments provided by Dr Graeme Manzie. Orthodontics is a specialist dental service concerned with the alignment of the teeth and jaws to improve the appearance of the face, the teeth and their function. Orthodontic treatment is provided under NHS referral for children, except when the problem falls below the accepted eligibility criteria for NHS treatment. Private treatment is available for these patients as well as adults who require orthodontic treatment. An additional report is available in respect of the general dental care and denture domiciliary service which is registered under the provider Dr Rajdeep Koner.

There is a small step into the practice from the street although a portable ramp can be used if requested for access for people who use wheelchairs and those with pushchairs. Car parking spaces, including several for blue badge holders, are available in car parks near the practice.

The dental team includes two dentists and five dental nurses (two of whom are apprentice dental nurses and all of whom also work in reception). The practice has two treatment rooms.

The practice is owned by an individual who is the principal dentist there. They have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated regulations about how the practice is run.

On the day of inspection we collected 53 CQC comment cards filled in by patients.

During the inspection we spoke with two dentists, three qualified dental nurses and two apprentice dental nurses. 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 to 5.30pm. Late evenings and weekends by appointment only.

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 systems to help them manage risk to patients and staff. There was a process in place for the reporting and shared learning when significant events occurred in the practice.
• 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. Patients could access treatment and emergency care when required.
• 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 complaints positively and efficiently.
• The provider had suitable information governance arrangements.

We carried out this inspection to check on the care and welfare of people using this service. We planned and discussed this inspection with the staff at the practice two days in advance. This was to ensure that we had time to see and speak with staff working at the practice, as well as people registered with the practice. We spoke with both dentists, the practice manager and two dental nurses. We reviewed four dental records, two staff files, some of the practice’s policies and procedures and their quality audits.

We spoke with eight people who were registered with the practice. People that used the practice told us that they received care and treatment that was planned and met their needs. People told us that they were very satisfied with the service and had been using the practice for many years. Some families had four generation attending appointments.

All consultations were recorded and changes in people's health needs were taken into account when planning any treatment. General health and oral care advice was given as part of the treatment. People we spoke with told us that the practice was always clean and tidy and they had no concerns about the hygiene.

The practice followed a robust recruitment procedure and we saw that the necessary checks were made prior to employment.

The practice monitored their service for the quality of care, safety of treatments and overall patient satisfaction. This ensured that any issues were identified and responded to.