We carried out this announced inspection on 15 February 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

Corner House Dental Practice located in Barnet provides a mix of NHS and private dental treatment including general dentistry and implant treatment to patients of all ages.

There is access for people who use wheelchairs and those with pushchairs. Car parking spaces are available near the practice.

Practice staffing consists of a principal dentist, dental nurse and one receptionist.

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.

The practice is open Monday to Friday 9am to 6pm.

The practice facilities include one treatment room, a decontamination room, reception/waiting area and staff room.

On the day of inspection we collected feedback from 80 patients. This information gave us a positive view of the practice.

During the inspection we spoke with the principal dentist, the dental nurse and the receptionist. We looked at practice policies and procedures and other records about how the service is managed.

Our key findings were:

• The practice was clean and well maintained.
• The practice 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.
• The practice had suitable safeguarding processes and staff knew their responsibilities for safeguarding adults and children.
• The practice 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 appointment system met patients’ needs.
• The practice had effective leadership. 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 practice dealt with complaints positively and efficiently.

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

• Review the practice’s protocols for recording in the patients’ dental care records or elsewhere the reason for taking the radiograph, the reporting and quality of the radiograph giving due regard to the Ionising Radiation (Medical Exposure) Regulations (IR(ME)R) 2000.
• Review the practice's protocols for completion of dental care records taking into account guidance provided by the Faculty of General Dental Practice regarding clinical examinations and record keeping.
• Review staff awareness of the legal precedent by which a child under the age of 16 years of age can consent for themselves and ensure all staff are aware of their responsibilities.

Patients said that the dentist was respectful and reassuring, which helped to make treatment more comfortable, particularly for patients who felt anxious. Patients told us that they were spoken to courteously by staff and the dentist, and that it was useful that the dentist spoke Farsi.

Patients had no concerns about the appointments systems and waiting times. We were told that emergency appointments could often be accommodated, and we heard staff attempting to accommodate earlier appointments for patients.

Patients told us that the service was clean when they visited. As one patient put it, “Nothing is dirty here.”

Patients spoke positively about the treatment they had received, and felt that they were involved in decisions about treatment. They were confident in the dentist’s abilities, and some spoke of having used the service for a number of years. As one patient said, “There’s other dentists close by, so I could easily go elsewhere if I wanted to.”