We carried out this announced inspection on 28 February 2019 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

Eaton Road Dental Practice is in Hove, Sussex and provides NHS and private treatment to patients of all ages. The provider had taken ownership of the practice three months prior to our inspection.

There is road level access for people who use wheelchairs and those with pushchairs. Parking spaces for blue badge holders are available close to the practice. On-street parking is available.

The dental team includes the principal dentist, two dental nurses and one receptionist. The practice has one treatment room.

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 Eaton Road Dental Practice is the principal dentist.

On the day of inspection, we collected 38 CQC comment cards filled in by patients.

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

The practice is open:

• Monday to Friday from 8am to 5pm
• Closed Wednesdays

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 provider 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.
• Staff were providing preventive care and supporting patients to ensure better oral health.
• The appointment system took account of 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 staff dealt with complaints positively and efficiently.
• The practice staff had suitable information governance arrangements.

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

• Review the practice's protocols and procedures for the use of X-ray equipment to ensure compliance with The Ionising Radiations Regulations 2017 and Ionising Radiation (Medical Exposure) Regulations 2017 and take into account the guidance for Dental Practitioners on the Safe Use of X-ray Equipment.

We spoke with two people who attended the practice and used the service. They told us that they were very satisfied with the service provided. They said that they found the dentist and staff to be friendly and helpful and they were treated with respect and their privacy was maintained. This was also evident from our observations when we saw individuals being supported in a professional, sensitive and respectful manner.

The two people we spoke with told us that they were given sufficient information about the treatment options and the relevant fees.

Among the comments we received were:

“The dentist has explained everything about the treatment that I need and everyone seems so helpful, friendly and reassuring”.

“I have total confidence in the dentist. She is very good and everything I need doing is carefully explained”.

“I wouldn’t still be using the practice if I wasn’t happy coming here”.