We carried out this announced inspection on 3 August 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 had no information of concern.

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

MC Dentistry in the London borough of Barnet and provides NHS and private dental treatment to patients of all ages.

Practice staffing consists of five dentists, three dental nurses and practice manager.

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 registered manager at MC Dentistry limited was the practice manager

The practice is open Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday 8.30am to 5.30pm and Friday 8.30 to 7pm

The practice facilities includes five treatment rooms, two decontamination rooms, two waiting areas, reception area, two offices and a staff room.

On the day of inspection we collected feedback from 29 patients. This information gave us a positive view of the practice.

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

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.

During our inspection we spoke with six people using the service, two dentists, a dental nurse, a receptionist and two staff members from the corporate team. We viewed four staff files and two people's dental records. All the people we spoke with expressed satisfaction with the service provided. One person said, "It is wonderful, I've come here for years." Another person said, "we moved out of the area but still come here, that speaks volumes."

People said the staff were always polite and courteous. People said they could get an appointment easily and in an emergency they could get an appointment on the same day. They said the dentists involved them in their treatments and options were always explained in full. We observed that the practice was clean and hygienic and procedures were in place to reduce the risk and spread of infection and these were being followed by staff.

Staff had received appropriate professional development to meet the needs of people using the service and adequate systems were in place to monitor the quality of service provided.