We carried out this announced inspection on 31 October 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 Care Quality Commission (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 us with any information.

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

Leyton Dental Surgery is located in Leyton, in the London Borough of Waltham Forest. The practice provides predominantly NHS and some private dental treatments to patients of all ages.

The practice is located on the ground floor of a purpose adapted premises. The practice has two treatment rooms. The practice is conveniently located close to public transport links.

The dental team includes the principal dentist and three associate dentists, two qualified dental nurses, one trainee dental nurse and one receptionist.

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.

We received feedback from 47 patients via CQC comment cards and speaking with patients. This information gave us a positive view of the practice.

During the inspection we spoke the principal dentist, one associate 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 between 9.30am and 5.30pm on Mondays to Fridays.

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 assess and 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.
• 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.

We spoke to three people who all confirmed that they were happy with the practice. When asked they all confirmed that personal protective equipment was worn by staff and dentist and that they were given protective goggles to wear during treatment. One person told us that she had been coming to the practice for "over 10 years and had now moved house but she was very happy to travel further to get to the practice".

All the people confirmed that they were informed about the charges they would need to pay for their treatment.

The practice was well organised with documents filed appropriately and easily retrievable. Staff are well informed and had received appropriate training.