We carried out this announced inspection of Long Melford Dental Practice 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. A CQC inspector, who was supported by two specialist dental advisers, led the inspection.

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 well-led care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Background

The practice is part of a group of three practices owned by Dr Paul Rolfe. It is based in the village of Long Melford and provides privately funded treatment to patients of all ages. The dental team includes one dentist, one dental nurse, and a receptionist. The practice has one treatment room and is open on Tuesdays from 9 am to 5pm, and on alternate Fridays from 9 am to1pm.

There is limited access for people who use wheelchairs, and no disabled toilet facilities.

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.

On the day of our inspection we collected eight comment cards filled in by patients and spoke with another two patients. This information gave us a very positive view of the service.

During the inspection we spoke with the principal dentist, the dental nurse and the receptionist. We looked at the practice’s policies and procedures, and other records about how the service was managed.

Our key findings were:

• We received consistently good feedback from patients about the quality of the practice’s staff and the effectiveness of their treatment.
• The practice was clean and well maintained.
• The practice had suitable safeguarding processes and staff knew their responsibilities for safeguarding adults and children.
• Staff knew how to deal with emergencies and appropriate medicines and life-saving equipment were available.
• Members of the dental team were up-to-date with their continuing professional development and supported to meet the requirements of their professional registration.

• Staff felt well supported and were committed to providing a quality service to their patients.

• The identification of potential hazards within the practice was limited. Risk assessment was not robust enough to ensure that patients and staff were fully protected

• Essential information and evidence of some dental examinations and risk assessment was missing from patient dental care records.

There were areas where the provider could make improvements and should:

• Review the practice's protocols for completion of dental records taking into account guidance provided by the Faculty of General Dental Practice regarding clinical examinations and record keeping.

• Review the practice's protocols for monitoring and recording the fridge temperature to ensure that medicines and dental care products are being stored in line with the manufacturer’s guidance.
• Review risk assessments to ensure they are specific to the practice and ensure that identified control measures are implemented.
• Review infection control policies and procedures to ensure they reflect staff’s actual working practices and relevant national guidelines.
• Review the accessibility of the practice’s complaints’ procedure so that it is easily available to patients

We did not have the opportunity to speak with people who used the service during our visit. However the provider had completed consultations with people and shared this information with us. Twelve people contributed and were positive about the service offered. One person commented “No suggestions as you are always pleasant, helpful, and on time.”

We saw that staff were very friendly and welcoming to people attending appointments. We also saw that they offered help and support over the telephone including describing treatment and procedures.