We carried out this announced inspection on 5 September 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

Horfield Dental Care is in Horfield, Bristol and provides private treatment to patients of all ages.

Part of the building is on level access for patients who use wheelchairs and pushchairs to access with ease. There was no car park at the practice instead there is nearby on street parking and good access to local transport services.

The dental team includes three dentists, six dental nurses; one dental nurse was awaiting their qualification certificate and another is in training for their dental nurse qualification, one dental hygienist, one dental hygienist who is also qualified as a dental therapist and the practice manager also covers reception alongside the dental nurses. The practice has four treatment rooms.

The practice is owned by a company 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 Horfield Dental Care was the principal dentist.

On the day of inspection we collected 52 CQC comment cards filled in by patients and spoke with two other patients. This information gave us a positive view of the practice.

During the inspection we spoke with three dentists, two dental nurses, one dental hygienist and the practice manager. The practice manager covered management of the service two days a week and the rest of their time they covered reception. We looked at practice policies and procedures and other records about how the service is managed.

The practice is open:

• Monday 9am to 5pm
• Tuesday to Thursday 9am to 6pm
• Fridays 9am to 1pm

Our key findings were:

• The practice appeared clean and well maintained.

• The practice had infection control procedures which reflected published guidance. Improvements were required to ensure that issues were identified when guidance was not followed

• Staff knew how to deal with emergencies. Appropriate medicines and life-saving equipment were available.
• The practice had systems to help them manage risk. Fire safety required improvement to ensure it met with current regulations.
• The practice had suitable safeguarding processes and staff knew their responsibilities for safeguarding adults and children.
• The practice had staff recruitment procedures that should be improved to ensure they met with current legislation.
• 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.

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

• Review the fire risk assessment giving due regard to all actions are addressed within a reasonable timescale to ensure you are meeting The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.
• Review the practice’s sharps procedures giving due regard to the Health and Safety (Sharp Instruments in Healthcare) Regulations 2013.
• Review the practice's recruitment policy and procedures to ensure Disclosure and Barring Checks were taken prior to employment for new staff as well as employment history, gaps of employment and verification of why employment ended and evidence of qualifications are requested and recorded suitably.
• Review practice policy on how urgent referrals should be monitored to establish the patient has received the treatment required.
• Review the practice’s infection control procedures and protocols giving due regard to guidelines issued by the Department of Health - Health Technical Memorandum 01-05: Decontamination in primary care dental practices and The Health and Social Care Act 2008: ‘Code of Practice about the prevention and control of infections and related guidance'.