We carried out this announced inspection on 1 February 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.

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

Epsom Dental Centre is located close to the railway station in Epsom, Surrey and provides NHS and private treatment to patients of all ages.

There are short term pay and display parking bays outside the practice and two local car parks near the practice.

The dental team includes a principal dentist (who is the provider), three associate dentists, four dental nurses (including one trainee), three dental hygienists and three receptionists. The practice has five treatment rooms including one on the ground level available for patients with mobility problems.

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 33 CQC comment cards filled in by patients prior to our inspection. This information gave us a positive view of the practice.

During the inspection we spoke with three dentists (including the principal), three dental nurses and three receptionists. We looked at practice policies and procedures and other records about how the service is managed.

The practice is open: Monday to Wednesday 9am to 6pm, Thursday 8am to 7pm and Friday 9am to 5pm.

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.
• 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.

We visited Epsom Dental centre to look at the care and treatment provided to people who used the service. During our inspection we spoke with four people and four of the staff. We observed one treatment session and looked at a sample of patient files.

People we spoke with were happy with the service. One person told us “They are very friendly here, they always do what I ask” Another person said “They are very efficient, and remind me of my appointments so I don’t miss them.” A third person told us “I have never experienced any pain here, the staff are all brilliant.”

People told us that they felt respected by staff, and were involved in decisions about their treatment. One person told us “They always explain exactly what is going on, I never felt I have over paid for treatment.”

We saw that medical histories were reviewed and treatment plans contained details of the treatment proposed, with costs.

The people we spoke with told us they felt safe with the staff.

We saw that the practice was clean and well maintained. People we spoke with were happy with the standard of cleanliness.

We saw that records of qualifications, criminal record checks and professional registrations were up to date.

All the people we spoke with were happy with the service. We saw the provider had a system in place to respond appropriately to complaints.