We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 28 January 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

Dental Perfection Branston is a mixed dental practice providing NHS and private treatment for both adults and children. The practice is situated in a converted commercial property. The practice had three dental treatment rooms and a separate decontamination room for cleaning, sterilising and packing dental instruments. Dental care was provided on two floors and had a reception and waiting area on the ground floor.

 The practice has four dentists who are supported by eight dental nurses, three dental therapists a dental hygienist and a practice manager.

The principal dentist and owner of the practice is the registered manager. A registered manager is a person who is registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. 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. The registered manager was supported in their role by the practice manager.

Before the inspection we sent Care Quality Commission comment cards to the practice for patients to complete to tell us about their experience of the practice. We received feedback from 19 patients. These provided a positive view of the services the practice provides. Patients commented on the high quality of care, the caring nature of all staff, the cleanliness of the practice and the overall high quality of customer care.

Our key findings were:

• The practice ethos was to provide high quality preventative centred care at all times
• Strong and effective clinical leadership was provided by the practice owner.
• The practice also benefitted from a stable staff base and an empowered practice manager.
• Staff had been trained to handle emergencies and appropriate medicines and life-saving equipment was readily available in accordance with current guidelines.
• The practice appeared very clean and well maintained.
• Infection control procedures were robust and the practice followed published guidance.
• The practice had safeguarding leads with effective processes in place for safeguarding adults and children living in vulnerable circumstances.
• Staff reported incidents and kept records of these which the practice used for shared learning.
• Dentists provided dental care in accordance with current professional and National Institute for Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines
• The service was aware of the needs of the local population and took these into account in how the practice was run.
• Patients could access treatment and urgent and emergency care when required.
• Staff recruitment files were organised and complete.
• Staff had received training appropriate to their roles and were supported in their continued professional development (CPD) by the practice owner and practice manager.
• Staff we spoke to felt well supported by the practice owner and practice manager and were committed to providing a quality service to their patients.
• Information from 19 completed Care Quality Commission (CQC) comment cards gave us a positive picture of a friendly, caring, professional and high quality service.
• The practice received no written complaints during 2015.

We carried out this inspection to check on the care and welfare of people using this service. Our visit was discussed and arranged two days in advance. This was to ensure that we had time to see and speak to staff working at the practice, as well as people registered with the service. We consulted the local PCT and reviewed the comments on Choices NHS website prior to our visit to receive feedback about the service.

The practice had a current contract with the NHS to provide NHS dental care to people. People could choose to pay for private treatment which was outside the agreed treatments of the NHS.

Treatment could be arranged at a convenient time, and people told us they did not experience any lengthy delays. People could consider their treatment options and any costs involved and did not have to make a decision immediately.

Everyone we spoke with told us they were happy with the service and would recommend the practice to family and friends. People we spoke with had used the practice since it had opened and one person told us, “They always tell me what’s happening, and can show me using the camera and monitor, so I know why things need doing.” Another person said, “I used to be uncomfortable coming to dentists, but they’re great here, and I don’t mind going to a dentist any more. Fantastic.”