We carried out this announced inspection on 11 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.

We told the NHS England area team that we were inspecting the practice. They did not provide any information.

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

Maypole Dental Practice is in Kings Heath, Birmingham and provides NHS and private treatment to patients of all ages.

There is level access for people who use wheelchairs and pushchairs. Car parking spaces are available at the front and rear of the practice.

The dental team includes seven dentists, nine dental nurses (including two trainees), three dental hygienists, and one receptionist. The practice has six treatment rooms, three on the ground floor and three on the first floor.

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 45 CQC comment cards filled in by patients. This information gave us a positive view of the practice.

During the inspection we spoke with three dentists, two dental nurses, one receptionist and the practice manager. We looked at practice policies and procedures and other records about how the service is managed.

The practice is open: 8.30am to 4.30pm Monday to Friday.

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.

Our visit was discussed and arranged with the dental practice a few days in advance. This was to ensure that we had time to see and speak to staff working at the practice and people who were registered with the service.

On the day of our visit, we spoke with two dentists, two dental nurses and the practice manager. We also spoke with three people who were registered with the practice. Following our visit, we contacted a further seven people by telephone who were registered with the practice to ask them about their experiences of the service.

People that used the practice told us that they were happy with the quality of treatment they received. They felt they were given enough information about their treatment options and the relevant fees, and were able to ask all the questions they wanted to.

Comments that we received about the service included:

“It’s a very personal service, the staff are very friendly, they know you by name”.

“Very polite, very helpful and very friendly”.

“I am very nervous of the dentist, (the dentist) is very calming and is very good, she has got a very pleasant nature, if she thinks you are stressing out, she’ll stop.”

“They always explain things in a way you can understand.”