We carried out this announced inspection on 19 April 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.

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

The Maple Dental Practice is in Surbiton and provides private treatment to patients of all ages.

There is level access for people who use wheelchairs and those with pushchairs. Paid car parking spaces are available near the practice.

The dental team includes four dentists, four dental nurses, four hygienists, 3 receptionists and a practice manager. The practice had three treatment rooms.

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 inspection we collected one CQC comment cards filled in by patients and spoke with three other patients. This information gave us a positive view of the practice.

During the inspection we spoke with two dentists, two dental nurses, the dental hygienist and the practice manager.

We looked at practice policies and procedures and other records about how the service is managed.

The practice is open:

• Monday 8:30am to 5:30pm
• Tuesday – Thursday 8:00am to 5:00pm
• Friday 8:00am to 3:00pm
• Saturday 9:00am to 1:00pm( by appointment only)’

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 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.

People using the service told us in questionnaires returned that they were satisfied with the treatment they had received and way it was provided. "Staff courteous, polite, friendly, dental care excellent and excellent hygiene". "Very friendly staff, my son loves it here".

The procedure for consultation and treatment was fully explained including the cost of treatment. People were also told about any risks that might arise from treatments chosen.

They felt treated with dignity, respect and had received consultations and treatment in a way that maintained their privacy.

People using the service were aware of the complaints procedure.

They did not comment on the practice infection control systems or staffing numbers. They did comment that they thought the practice was kept clean, tidy, felt safe using the service and the dentists and team were excellent.

We saw that people received enough information to make informed decisions about their treatment in a number of ways including verbal, written and visual.

There was a robust complaints process that was followed and infection prevention procedures were in place with people receiving treatment in a clean environment.

There were also enough qualified and competent staff to meet people's needs.