We carried out this announced inspection on 12 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

The practice is in the Blaby district, on the southern edge of the City of Leicester. It provides private treatment to adults and children.

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

The dental team includes four dentists, four dental nurses, one facial aesthetic nurse, one dental hygiene therapist, a practice manager, a dual-site team leader and a patient marketing co-ordinator.

The practice has two treatment rooms, both on ground floor level.

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 J Sainsbury -Fosse Park is Gemma McMullan.

The practice is part of a corporate group which has a head office based in Bath where support teams including human resources, IT, finance, health and safety, learning and development, clinical support and patient support services are provided. These teams support and offer expert advice and updates to the practice when required.

On the day of inspection, we collected six CQC comment cards filled in by patients.

During the inspection we spoke with one dentist, two dental nurses, the registered manager, clinical services director, patient marketing co-ordinator and the practice manager. We looked at practice policies and procedures, patient feedback and other records about how the service is managed.

The practice is open: Monday to Thursday from 8am to 8pm, Friday from 8am to 6pm and Saturday from 8am to 6pm.

Our key findings were:

• The practice appeared clean and well maintained.
• The provider 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 to patients and staff.
• The provider had suitable safeguarding processes and staff knew their responsibilities for safeguarding vulnerable adults and children.
• The provider 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. Longer appointments could be allocated if required, for patients with particular needs.
• The provider had effective leadership and culture of continuous improvement.
• Staff felt involved and supported and worked well as a team.
• The provider asked staff and patients for feedback about the services they provided.
• The provider dealt with complaints efficiently.
• The provider had suitable information governance arrangements.