We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 18 March 2016 to ask the practice the following key questions; Are services safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led?

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

Lodge house dental practice offers private dental care services. The services provided include preventative advice and treatment, routine restorative and a full range of private dental options. The practice has one treatment room and a spacious waiting area. The practice is open Monday, Tuesday and Thursday from 7.30 am to 6pm and on Wednesday and Friday 7.30 to 2pm. Weekend opening hours can be arranged by special arrangement for patients who are unable to attend during the normal working hours.

The practice has one dentist one dental nurse and a receptionist.

The principal dentist is the registered manager. A registered manager is a person who is registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the practice is run.

Our key findings were:

• There were effective systems in place to reduce the risk and spread of infection.
• There were systems in place to check all equipment had been serviced regularly.
• Staff had received safeguarding and whistleblowing training and knew the processes to follow to raise any concerns.
• Patients’ care and treatment was planned and delivered in line with evidence based guidelines, best practice and current legislation.
• The practice ensured staff maintained the necessary skills and competence to support the needs of patients.
• There were sufficient numbers of suitably qualified staff to meet the needs of patients.
• Staff had been trained to handle emergencies and appropriate medicines and life-saving equipment were readily available.
• Patients received clear explanations about their proposed treatment, costs, benefits and risks and were involved in making decisions about it.
• Patients were treated with dignity and respect and confidentiality was maintained.
• The appointment system met the needs of patients and waiting times were kept to a minimum.
• There was an effective complaints system and the practice was open and transparent with patients if a mistake had been made.
• The practice was well-led and staff felt involved and worked as a team.
• Governance systems were effective and there was a range of clinical and non-clinical audits to monitor the quality of services.

The practice sought feedback from staff and patients about the services they provided.

We were unable to speak to people who used the service on the day of the inspection because of a mechanical failure of the dental chair. The dentist had cancelled all booked appointments for the day. Following our inspection we called four people that had recently attended for an appointment to gain their views.

We also took information from other sources to help us understand the views of people who used the service, which included a satisfaction survey and practice records. People told us that they were happy with the service provided. They thought that they had been given enough information about their treatment options and about any fees they would have to pay.

Lodge House dental practice had systems in place to gain and review consent from the people who used the service. People told us that they were always given enough time to consider the dental treatment offered to them. One person told us: "Everything is explained to me and I have choices." Another said: "I am always given enough time to consider the options offered to me.”

All aspects of the day to day running of the practice were monitored, reviewed and updated at regular intervals. The provider told us and we saw that regular audits and risk assessments had been carried out which ensured that the practice could evidence and deliver a consistent quality service and made any improvements where necessary.