We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 15 July 2015 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.

Euro Dental Care offers both NHS and private dental treatment. The practice treats adults and children.

The premises consists of a waiting area on the ground floor, a reception area, an accessible treatment room on the ground floor and two treatment rooms on the first floor. One of the treatment rooms on the first floor was currently being renovated. There is also a separate decontamination room.

The staff at the practice consists of the principal dentist and another dentist who worked once a month. They specialised in orthodontics (dental treatment which involves the improvement of the appearance and position of mal-aligned teeth) and impacted wisdom tooth removal. They were supported by a practice manager, one qualified dental nurse and three trainee nurses. All the nurses also work as receptionists. One of the dental nurse acted as a deputy manager. The practice has the services of a dental hygienist who carries out preventative advice and treatment on prescription from the dentists.

The principal dentist is the registered manager. A registered manager is a person who is registered with the Care Quality Commission 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.

The practice provides primary dental services to mainly NHS patients. The practice is open Monday to Saturday between the hours of 9am and 6pm.

We spoke with three patients during the inspection. They told us that they were very satisfied with the services provided, that the dentists provided them with clear explanations about their care and treatment, that costs were clear and that all staff treated them with dignity and respect.

We viewed CQC comment cards that had been left for patients to complete, prior to our visit, about the services provided. There were 15 completed comment cards and all of them reflected positive comments about the staff and the services provided.

Our key findings were:

• The practice had in place a mechanism to record significant events and complaints.
• Staff had received formal safeguarding training and knew the processes to follow to raise any concerns.
• There were sufficient numbers of suitably qualified staff to meet the needs of patients.
• Staff had been trained to handle emergencies and appropriate medicines and life-saving equipment were readily available.
• Infection control procedures were in place and the practice followed published guidance.
• Patients’ care and treatment was planned and delivered in line with evidence based guidelines, best practice and current legislation.
• Patients received clear explanations about their proposed treatment, costs, benefits and risks and were involved in making decisions about it.
• Patients were treated with dignity and respect and confidentiality was maintained.
• The appointment system met the needs of patients and waiting times were kept to a minimum.
• There was an effective complaints system.
• The practice was well-led and staff felt involved and worked as a team.
• Governance systems were effective and there was a range of clinical and non-clinical audits to monitor the quality of services.
• The practice sought feedback from staff and patients about the services they provided.

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

• Ensure all audits including those under the Equality Act 2010 are reviewed regularly.

Our visit was discussed and arranged with the practice two days 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 two dentists (one of whom was also the registered provider), the hygienist, four dental nurses, and the practice manager. 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.

People that used the practice told us that they were happy with the quality of treatment received. They felt they were given enough information about their treatment options and were able to ask all the questions they wanted to. Their comments included, “Absolutely great” and “Professional, polite, always kept informed.”

People who were very nervous about going to the dentist told us that the staff were friendly and patient with them. Staff reassured them throughout their treatment, putting them at ease. One person told us, “Makes me feel so at ease always smiling."

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.

There were systems in place that ensured people using the service were asked their views about the service so the provider could use the information to improve.