We carried out this announced inspection on 27 September 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.

We told the NHS England area team and Healthwatch that we were inspecting the practice. They did not provide any information.

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

Edgbaston Dental Centre is in Edgbaston, Birmingham and provides NHS and private treatment to patients of all ages.

There is level access for people who use wheelchairs and pushchairs. Car parking spaces, including one for patients with disabled badges, are available in the car park at the rear of the practice. Patients are also able to park in local side roads.

The dental team includes 13 dentists (including the two principal dentists), 13 dental nurses (including two trainee dental nurses and a treatment co-ordinator), two dental hygienists, five receptionists and a practice manager who is also a qualified dental nurse. The practice has six treatment rooms, three on the ground floor and three on the first floor.

The practice is owned by a partnership 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 Edgbaston Dental Centre is one of the principal dentists.

On the day of inspection we collected 19 CQC comment cards filled in by patients. This information gave us a positive view of the practice. We did not receive any negative feedback about the practice.

During the inspection we spoke with three dentists, three dental nurses, 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, Wednesday and Thursday 9am to 7.30pm, Tuesday and Friday 9am to 6pm and Saturday 9am to 3pm.

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. A member of reception staff held the lead role for safeguarding at the practice.
• 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.

Our visit was discussed and arranged with the practice 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 practice.

During the inspection we spoke with three dentists, five dental nurses, one of the reception staff, the practice manager and one person using the service. After our inspection visit, we spoke by telephone with seven people who were registered with the practice to ask them

about their experiences of the service.

The people we spoke with were all complimentary about the service they had received. Their comments included, "I can’t fault them one bit" and "Second to none care and treatment.’’ People told us they were given the information they needed to be able to make an informed decision about their treatment.

Staff received a range of training so that they had up to date knowledge and skills in order to treat people safely when they attended the practice.

People told us that the practice was clean and tidy and we found that the provider had effective infection control procedures in place. This meant the risk of infection for people using the service was minimised.

The provider had systems of audits in place to enable them to monitor the quality of the service provided. This made sure that people received appropriate care and treatment. People were asked for their views about the practice and these were listened to.