We carried out this announced inspection on 21 August 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

Lavender Road Dental Clinic is in West Leicester and provides NHS and private treatment to adults and children. The practice holds a contract with NHS England to provide sedation services and orthodontics. These services are also provided to patients on a private basis. The practice also offered dental implants.

The practice were not accepting new NHS patients for registration at the time of our inspection.

There is level access for people who use wheelchairs and those with pushchairs. There are no car parking facilities on site, but free on road parking is available outside the practice. Parking is also available at a local church (with their agreement), which is within close proximity of the practice.

The dental team includes seven dentists, three anaesthetists, 13 dental nurses, one dental hygienist, one administrator, three receptionists and a practice manager.

The practice has five treatment rooms; three of which are located on the ground floor.

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 Lavender Road Dental Clinic is the practice manager.

On the day of inspection we collected 18 CQC comment cards filled in by patients.

During the inspection we spoke with three dentists, three dental nurses, the dental hygienist, two receptionists 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 Friday from 8am to 7pm and Saturday from 8am to 1pm.

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 practice staff 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.
• The provider was providing preventive care and supporting patients to ensure better oral health.
• The appointment system met patients’ needs.
• The practice had a dedicated practice manager, 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 provider dealt with complaints positively and efficiently.
• The provider had effective information governance arrangements.

We spoke with two people who had attended an appointment on the day of the inspection. We asked them for their views about the care and treatment they received. People told us they were happy with the service and felt they were well informed and were provided with clear information about the treatment options available to them. People’s comments included: “Very professional and I can’t fault them.” “Really good and helpful practice and you feel like they really look after you.” We asked a parent for their views about the dentists approach with their children. They told us: “Keeping them calm and making them feel safe, a lot of patience involved.”

We found by speaking and observing staff that there were effective systems in place to reduce the risk and spread of infection. We reviewed the infection prevention and decontamination records and policies and found them to be up to date and comprehensive with responsibilities clearly defined.

We found by speaking with staff and reviewing records that the dentists and dental nurses regularly accessed training. The dentist had an effective quality assurance system which included seeking the views of people registered at the practice.