We carried out this announced inspection on 17 April 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.

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Background

Eltham Park Dental Practice is in the Royal Borough of Greenwich and provides NHS and private treatment to patients of all ages.

There is level access via a portable ramp for people who use wheelchairs and those with pushchairs. Car parking spaces, including for blue badge holders, are available near the practice.

The dental team includes five dentists (one of which is the principal dentist), four dental nurses, a dental hygienist, and three receptionists. The practice has five treatment rooms.

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 Eltham Park Dental Practice was the principal dentist.

On the day of inspection we received feedback from 32 patients.

During the inspection we spoke with two dentists (one of whom was the principal dentist), a dental nurses and a receptionist. We looked at practice policies and procedures and other records about how the service is managed.

The practice is open:

Monday- Thursday: 9.am -6.00pm

Friday- 9.am- 5.pm

Our key findings were:

• The practice staff appeared clean and well maintained.
• The practice staff 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 staff 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 staff dealt with complaints positively and efficiently.
• The practice staff had suitable information governance arrangements.

All the people we spoke with were complimentary about the service they received. People told us that they were given adequate information including options about their treatment. People told us that they were clear about their treatment plan and were informed of any fees involved before they had their treatment. They told us staff were “friendly” and “polite”. One person said staff were “excellent” and always put them at ease when they felt anxious. All of the people we spoke with told us that they were involved in their care planning and their views were respected. People told us that they felt the surgery was clean including areas where they received treatment.

We found that people were provided with relevant information about their treatment options and their views were taken into consideration. Each person who used the service had a treatment plan and risk assessments in place. Staff knew about their responsibility to safeguard children and vulnerable adults. The provider followed relevant infection control protocols which included appropriate decontamination processes. We found that the provider maintained appropriate records of people’s treatment plans, staff records and other records relevant for the management of the surgery.