We carried out this announced inspection on 28 September 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

Ealing Dental Studio is in the London Borough of Ealing and provides private treatment to adults and children.

The dental team includes the principal dentist a visiting dentist who had undergone appropriate post-graduate training in implants and two dental nurses

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 12 CQC comment cards filled in by patients.

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

The practice is open:

• Monday to Friday 9am to 6pm
• Saturday 9am to 2pm

Our key findings were:

• The practice appeared clean and well maintained.
• 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 a 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 had suitable information governance arrangements.
• The practice had infection control procedures which reflected published guidance.

There were areas where the provider could make improvements. They should:

• Review the practice’s audit protocols to ensure audits of various aspects of the service, such as infection prevention and control are undertaken at regular intervals to help improve the quality of service. Practice should also ensure, that where appropriate audits have documented learning points and the resulting improvements can be demonstrated.

We spoke with two people who use the service. People said they were given a good explanation of the treatment required, how it would be carried out, the predicted outcome, and alternatives. People we spoke with talked about their experience at the practice and were complimentary about their treatment and the outcome. People said “the dentist takes time to explain the treatment” and “Information is clear and concise."

Information was available on the provider web site and during consultation to support people to make decisions about their treatment. Assessment, planning and delivery of care was reflected in people's treatment plans. A schedule of training and practice meetings were in place to train and develop staff to ensure they could meet the needs of people using the service.

On the day of the inspection we found the practice to be clean and saw that a decontamination process was in place for dental instruments. Information was available for staff on safeguarding children and vulnerable adults and how to escalate a concern if necessary.

A management system was in place to ensure the service was safe and care and treatment was regularly evaluated.