We spoke with five people who received treatment on the day of our visit. Each person said they were satisfied with the standards of care. One person told us ''I wouldn't go anywhere else,'' another said ''He's great.'' One person said the dentist was very good with children and they had no fear of coming to the practice. A person who said they were nervous of coming, told us the dentist had been gentle and reassuring to them. People told us they were given options about treatments, where applicable. This helped them make choices about their care such as type of fillings.

We found people's privacy and dignity were respected at the practice. We saw appropriate records were being kept of people's treatment. The practice was equipped to deal with emergencies such as allergic reactions. Staff had received training in basic life support to be able to handle medical emergencies.

We found there were measures in place to safeguard vulnerable adults and children from abuse. This included policies and staff training.

One new member of staff had been recruited since the provider registered with the Care Quality Commission. We found the provider had carried out most, but not all, of the required recruitment checks. This could potentially place people at risk of harm.

Records were accurate and kept up to date. We found confidential records were kept secure to prevent unauthorised access to sensitive information.

We carried out this announced inspection on 26 September 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.

Background

Glade Dental is in Marlow, Buckinghamshire and provides NHS and private treatment to patients of all ages.

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

The dental team includes two dentists, three dental nurses, two dental hygienists, one receptionist. The practice has two treatment rooms.

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 Glade Dental Practice is the principal dentist.

On the day of inspection, we collected seven CQC comment cards filled in by patients and obtained the views of a further seven patients.

During the inspection we spoke with one dentist, one dental nurse and the receptionist. We looked at practice policies and procedures and other records about how the service is managed.

The practice is open Monday 8.30am to 5.30pm, Tuesday 9am to 7pm, Wednesday and Thursday 9am to 5.30pm, Friday 9am to 5pm and 9am to 1pm on one Saturday a month.

Our key findings were:

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