We carried out this announced inspection on 8 May 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 this practice was providing safe care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Are services effective?

We found this practice was providing effective care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Are services caring?

We found this practice was providing caring services in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Are services responsive?

We found this practice was providing responsive care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Are services well-led?

We found this practice was providing well-led care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Background

Cotswold Periodontal Centre is in Cheltenham and provides private periodontal treatment on referral from a general dentist to patients of all ages but mainly adults. The practice is co-located in the same premises as Cotswold Orthodontics who provide staffing, surgery space and overall maintenance of the premises. An appropriate contract detailing responsibilities in line with regulatory requirements was present and we evidenced it was implemented in practice. The practice is open one day a week.

There is level access for people who use wheelchairs and pushchairs, however all treatment rooms are upstairs. Car parking spaces are available at the front of the practice. None are specifically identified for disabled patients.

The dental team includes a periodontal specialist, a dental hygienist, one dental nurse, and two receptionists. The practice has two treatment rooms.

The practice is a Limited 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 Cotswold Periodontal Centre was the principal dentist.

On the day of the inspection we collected 11 CQC comment cards filled in by patients and spoke with six other patients. This information gave us a positive view of the practice.

During the inspection we spoke with the orthodontist, one dental nurse, a dental hygienist, two receptionists and the practice manager. We looked at practice policies and procedures and other records about how the service is managed.

The practice is open: Monday only 8.30am - 5.30pm.

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.

We spoke with three people who had received treatment from the periodontist. They made positive comments about the practice and their treatment. One person commented that they were “very impressed” with the service they had received. People also told us how information about their periodontic treatment had been explained to them. One person commented that they had received “a good explanation”. There were arrangements in place to protect children and vulnerable adults from the risk of abuse. We found that there were effective procedures in use for the decontamination of dental instruments. In addition everyone we spoke to said that the practice environment was clean when they visited. We also found that quality monitoring systems were in place that included seeking the views of people using the service.