We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 24 October 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

London Smile Studio located in Swiss Cottage in Camden, London provides private dental treatment to patients of all ages.

Practice staffing consists of two principal dentists, one Hygienist, one dental nurse and one receptionist.

One of the principal dentists 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.

The practice is open Monday 9am to 6pm, Tuesday 9am to 7pm, Wednesday 9am to 7pm and Friday 9am to 2pm.

The practice facilities include one treatment room, reception and waiting area, decontamination room, and a staff room/kitchen. The waiting area and decontamination room was shared with another provider.

12 patients provided feedback about the service. Patients we spoke with and those who completed comment cards were very positive about the care they received about the service. Patients told us that they were happy with the treatment and advice they had received.

Our key findings were:

• There were systems in place to ensure that all equipment was maintained in line with manufacturer’s guidelines.
• There were sufficient numbers of suitably qualified staff to meet the needs of patients.
• Staff had been trained to handle medical 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.
• There were systems in place to reduce the risk and spread of infection. Dental instruments were cleaned and sterilised in line with current guidance.
• The practice ensured staff were trained and that they maintained the necessary skills and competence to support the needs of patients.
• Staff had received safeguarding children and adults training and knew the processes to follow to raise any concerns. The practice had whistleblowing policies and procedure and staff were aware of these and their responsibilities to report any concerns.
• 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.
• Governance systems were effective and there were a range of policies and procedures in place which underpinned the management of the practice. Clinical audits were carried out to monitor the quality of services.

We spoke with three patients, who all stated that they were given appropriate information about their treatment and fees. We were told that staff always respected their privacy and dignity and one patient said that the attitude of staff was "very good" and that staff were "very kind".

Patients told us they were satisfied with the quality of care and treatment they received. One person described their treatment as "high quality". Patients told us the practice was always clean, tidy and well maintained and stated that they felt safe at the practice. The practice sought the views of people using the service to help it to improve.