Five people who used the service told us ‘they were provided with good information about the treatments and the cost of the different treatments’. They told us that they found the written information provided very helpful and informative. They said, “The staff were always polite and helpful”.

One person wrote, “I have been using this practice for many years and I am very happy. The staff respects me and they listen to what I have to say about my treatment”. Another person wrote, “The staff are wonderful, they provide me with all the information for after care”. Another person wrote, “Excellent service with caring staff”.

People told us the dentist made sure they understood their treatment and choice by giving information in a way they could understand. People said a range of treatment was discussed with them, but they made the choice of treatment they wanted. One person said “I had a full and thorough discussion regarding my medical and dental health and I had x-rays taken”.

We found people were involved in making decisions about their care, treatment and support. They experienced effective, safe and appropriate care. People were cared for in a clean well maintained environment and were protected from abuse. They had their comments listened to and acted on effectively.

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 20 January 2017 to ask the practice the following key questions; Are services safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led?

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

Elvetham Dental Care is a dental practice providing general dental care for both adults and children under NHS and private arrangements. The practice is based in a converted domestic dwelling in Fleet, a town situated in Hampshire.

The practice has four dental treatment rooms, one of which is based on the ground floor and a separate dedicated decontamination room used for cleaning, sterilising and packing dental instruments. The ground floor is accessible to wheelchair users, prams and patients with limited mobility.

The practice employs four dentists, two hygienists, four dental nurses and a practice manager.

The practice opening hours are between 8am and 6pm on Monday; 8am and 5pm Tuesday to Friday; and 8am and 1pm on Saturdays by arrangement.

There are arrangements in place to ensure patients receive urgent treatment when the practice is closed.

The Provider and Practice Owner is the Principal Dentist and also the registered manager. A registered manager is a person who is registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the practice is run.

Before the inspection, we sent Care Quality Commission comment cards to the practice for patients to complete to tell us about their experience of the practice. We received feedback from 46 patients. These provided a positive view of the services the practice provides. Patients commented on the high quality of care, the caring nature of all staff and the cleanliness of the practice.

Our key findings were:

• The practice ethos was to provide high quality general dental care in a relaxed and friendly environment.
• Effective leadership was provided by the principal dentist and a newly appointed and empowered practice manager.
• Staff had been trained to handle emergencies and appropriate medicines and life-saving equipment were readily available in accordance with current guidelines.
• The practice appeared clean and well maintained.
• There was appropriate equipment for staff to undertake their duties, and equipment was well maintained.
• Infection control procedures were robust and the practice followed published guidance.
• The practice had a safeguarding lead with effective processes in place for safeguarding adults and children living in vulnerable circumstances.
• There was a process in place for reporting and shared learning of untoward incidents which occurred in the practice.
• Dentists provided dental care in accordance with current specialist professional and National Institute for Care Excellence guidelines.
• The service was aware of the needs of the local population and took these into account in how the practice was run.
• Patients could access treatment and urgent care when required.
• Staff received training appropriate to their roles and were supported in their continuing professional development by the practice.
• Staff we spoke with felt well supported by the principal dentist and practice manager and were committed to providing a high-quality service to their patients.
• Information from 46 completed Care Quality Commission comment cards gave us a positive picture of a friendly, caring, professional and high quality service.

There were areas where the provider could make improvements and should:

• Consider the provision of an external name plate providing details of the dentists working at the practice including their General Dental Council (GDC) registration number in accordance with GDC guidance March 2012. This should also be included in practice information leaflets, the practice website and NHS Choices website.
• Review the availability of hearing loops for patients who use hearing aids.
• Review the safety arrangements of the window blinds in the practice, this could include ensuring the pull cords are made secure or carrying out a suitable risk assessment in relation to the pull cords.
• Review practice information on the NHS Choices website.
• Review the suite of practice policies to ensure that they contain an up to date review date.