We carried out this announced inspection on 19 December 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.

We told the NHS England area team that we were inspecting the practice. They did not provide any information for us to take into account.

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

Greenwood Dental Clinic is in South Birmingham and provides NHS and private treatment to patients of all ages.

There is level access for people who use wheelchairs and pushchairs. Car parking spaces are available near the practice. There are no designated car parking spaces for patients who are blue badge holders; however, staff told us they will move their own cars in the practice car park to accommodate patients who require car parking immediately adjacent to the practice entrance.

The dental team includes two dentists, one dental nurse, one dental hygienist and one receptionist. The practice has two treatment rooms.

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 18 CQC comment cards filled in by patients. This information gave us a positive view of the practice.

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 on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday between 9am and 5pm. The practice is closed on a Wednesday.

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 with the exception of documented references.
• 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 had a system in place to manage complaints efficiently.

There were areas where the provider could make improvements. They should:

• Review the practice’s arrangements for maintaining the fire extinguishers on an annual basis.
• Review the practice’s systems for analysing the results of audits to identify, share and act on areas for improvement where appropriate.

Our visit was discussed and arranged with the practice two working days in advance. This was to ensure that we had time to see and speak to staff working at the practice. During the inspection we spoke with a dentist (who was also the owner of the practice), a dental nurse, hygienist and a receptionist.

We spoke in person and by telephone with a total of six people who were 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. People who had needed an emergency appointment told us there had never been any delays in getting treatment. One person told us, ‘’I was seen straight away when I had an emergency.’’

People told us that the practice was clean and tidy and that they had no concerns about hygiene.

Staff received a range of training so that they had up to date knowledge and skills in order to treat people safely when they attended the practice.