We carried out this announced inspection on 4 May 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

The dental practice is located in premises in the centre of Matlock in the Peak District of Derbyshire. The practice provides mainly NHS treatment (95%) to patients of all ages.

There is stepped access for patients to the front door which made access difficult for people who use wheelchairs and pushchairs. The provider has another practice a short distance from this practice which has level access. Therefore, patients who are unable to manage the stairs are referred to the sister practice. There is limited car parking spaces in the area including a pay and display car park at the railway station approximately a quarter of a mile from the practice.

The dental team includes four dentists; two hygiene therapists; one hygienist; five qualified dental nurses including the practice manager; one receptionist; and one trainee dental nurse. The practice has four treatment rooms, one of which is on the ground floor, although not at street level.

The practice is owned by a company 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 practice has two registered managers, one being the practice manager.

On the day of inspection we collected 19 CQC comment cards filled in by patients and spoke with two other patients. This information gave us a positive view of the practice.

During the inspection we spoke with dentists, dental nurses, 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 to Friday: 7:45 am to 4:45 pm.

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.

We spoke with three patients who had come for appointments. They were all NHS patients and were very happy with the treatment they had received. All of the patients felt that the dentist had explained their treatment. One patient told us “I’ve been coming here forever; all of the staff are lovely.”

We found that patients’ needs were assessed and that they were asked to complete a medical history questionnaire before being seen in the surgery. This information was then reviewed with the patients at subsequent visits.

The three patients we spoke with advised us that they had never needed to make a complaint about their care. They advised us that should they have any concerns, they would feel happy in discussing these with their dentist or the practice manager.