We carried out this announced inspection on 24 May 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

Derwent Street Dental Practice is in Belper in north Derbyshire and provides mainly private dental treatment to both adults and children.

There is level access into the practice for people who use wheelchairs and those with pushchairs. Car parking spaces, including spaces for blue badge holders, are available next to the practice.

The dental team includes four dentists, two dental hygienists, six qualified dental nurses, two trainee dental nurses, one receptionist and one practice manager. The practice has four treatment rooms, all on the ground floor.

The practice is owned by a 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 Derwent Street Dental Practice is the principal dentist.

On the day of inspection, we received feedback from 50 patients.

During the inspection we spoke with one dentist, one dental hygienist, two dental nurses, one receptionist 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: 9am to 7:30pm, Tuesday: 8am to 5:30pm, Wednesday: 9am to 7:30pm, Thursday: 7:30am to 12:30pm and Friday: 9am to 5:30pm. The practice is closed for lunch 12:30pm to 1:45pm. The practice is closed on Saturday and Sunday.

Our key findings were:

• The practice appeared 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 practice was providing preventive care and supporting patients to ensure better oral health.
• The appointment system met patients’ needs.
• 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 practice dealt with complaints positively and efficiently.
• The practice had suitable information governance arrangements.

People told us they felt the practice delivered care and treatment in a way that met their needs and felt safe when they had treatment. One person told us “I had a bad experience with a dentist years ago. The dentist I have here is brilliant. They talk through procedures and have restored my faith and reduced my anxiety”.

People told us they felt safe at the service and had never seen anything of concern. Staff we spoke with could identify types of abuse and were aware of how to report suspected abuse.

We saw that the provider had appropriate decontamination processes and people using the service visited a clean and hygienic practice.

The provider has effective recruitment and selection procedures in place and carries out relevant checks when they employ staff.

The provider obtained feedback from people using the service and had systems in place to identify areas for improvement.