We carried out this announced inspection on 15 June 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.

We told the NHS England area team and Healthwatch that we were inspecting the practice. They did not have any relevant information to share with us regarding this dental practice.

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

Littleover Dental practice is located in premises in the Littleover area in the south west of the city of Derby and provides private dental treatment to patients and NHS dental treatment to children.

There is level access for patients to the front door which ensures easy access for people who use wheelchairs and pushchairs.

The dental team includes two dentists; one hygienist; three qualified dental nurses including the practice manager; and one trainee dental nurse. The practice has two treatment rooms, one of which is on the ground floor.

The practice is owned by an organisation 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 Littleover Dental Practice is the principal dentist.

On the day of inspection we collected 49 CQC comment cards filled in by patients. On this occasion we did not speak with any dental patients in the practice. This information gave us a positive view of the practice.

During the inspection we spoke with two dentists and two dental nurses. We looked at practice policies and procedures and other records about how the service is managed.

The practice is open: Monday to Wednesday: 7:30 am to 2:30 pm; Thursday: 10 am to 7 pm and Friday: 9 am to 6 pm.

Our key findings were:

• The practice was clean and well maintained.
• The practice had infection control procedures which followed 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 risks in the practice, particularly with regard to health and safety.
• The practice had suitable safeguarding processes and staff had been trained and 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 steps to protect their privacy and personal information.
• The appointment system met patients’ needs. Patients said they could get an appointment that suited them.
• 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.

As part of this inspection we spoke with five people who used the service and four members of staff including the registered manager.

All the people we spoke with were happy with the care and service provided by the provider and all felt that different options were explained to them. One person told us that they thought the practice was “fabulous”, another stated “I give it 10/10”. One person commented, “It’s taken many years to find some where as good as this”.

There were effective systems in place to reduce the risk and spread of infection. We reviewed the infection control and decontamination policies and found them to be up to date and comprehensive.

We found there were effective recruitment and selection processes in place to ensure that staff were suitable to work in this environment.

The provider had a clear complaints policy and there was information on display telling people how to complain. None of the people we spoke with had needed to complain.