We carried out this announced inspection on 5 April 2019 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

Grove Dental is in the London Borough of Barnet and provides NHS and private treatment to adults and children.

There is access for people who use wheelchairs and those with pushchairs.

The dental team includes the two principal dentists, two dental nurses and one trainee dental nurse/receptionist

The practice is owned by an 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 Grove Dental is the principal dentist

On the day of inspection, we collected 45 CQC comment cards filled in by patients and spoke with two patients.

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

The practice is open:

• Monday to Friday 8am to 4.30pm

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 provider 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.
• Staff were providing preventive care and supporting patients to ensure better oral health.
• The appointment system took account of patients’ needs.
• The practice had effective leadership and a 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.

Patients' privacy was respected. Patients were able to discuss treatment, medical history, fees and other matters behind closed doors in their treatment room.

Patients were protected against the risks of receiving inappropriate or unsafe care. We selected three patient records. The three practice dentists were able to talk us through a record and evidence that patient care had been continually assessed and documented.

Staff we spoke with demonstrated an understanding of safeguarding children and vulnerable adults. They were able to describe possible types of abuse such as physical abuse and emotional abuse. They knew how and to whom they would report a safeguarding alert.

We saw that the waiting area and treatment rooms were clean and clutter free. Neither of the two patients we spoke with expressed concerns about the cleanliness of the treatment rooms and overall environment. One patient referred to the practice as “very hygienic.”

Neither of the two patients we spoke with expressed concerns about the accuracy or confidentiality of patient records.