We carried out this announced inspection on 20 November 2018 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 had remote support from a specialist dental adviser available.

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

Meir Dental Centre is part of the large Mydentist corporate organisation. The practice is located to the east of the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The practice provides mainly NHS dental treatment to both adults and children.

The practice has three treatment rooms, one of which is located on the ground floor. This is for the benefit of people who use wheelchairs and those with pushchairs. There is roadside parking available in the area around the practice or at the local health centre.

The dental team includes three dentists, one therapist, five qualified dental nurses, two receptionists and a practice manager.

The practice is owned by an organisation 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 Meir Dental Centre is the practice manager.

On the day of inspection, we received feedback from 12 patients.

During the inspection we spoke with three dentists, one dental nurse, 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 Thursday: from 9am to 5.30pm and Friday: from 8am to 4pm. The practice is closed on Saturday and Sunday.

Our key findings were:

• The practice appeared clean and well maintained.
• The practice staff had infection control procedures which mostly reflected published guidance.
• Staff knew how to deal with emergencies. Appropriate medicines and the recommended life-saving equipment were available.
• The practice had systems to help them manage risk.
• The practice staff had suitable safeguarding processes and staff knew their responsibilities for safeguarding adults and children.
• The practice had all the staff records required by schedule three of the Health and Social Care Act (2008)
• 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 practice was providing preventive care and supporting patients to ensure better oral health.
• The appointment system met patients’ needs.
• The practice had effective leadership and culture of continuous improvement, although there was scope for improvement regarding audits completed in the practice.
• Staff felt involved and supported and worked well as a team.

We spoke with six people who used the service and five members of staff. People told us they were happy with the care and treatment provided. One person said, “I travel across the city to come to this dentist and I wouldn’t contemplate changing”. Another person said, “My dentist is brilliant”.

People told us they were involved in the planning of their treatment and were treated with care and respect. We observed people being communicated with in a professional and friendly manner.

Care and treatment was based upon clinical guidelines and individual need. We saw that people were cared for and treated by staff who had the appropriate knowledge and skills. This was because there was an appropriate induction and training system in place.

During our inspection the practice appeared clean and tidy. We observed staff following policies and procedures to protect people from the risks associated with infections.

The provider has systems in place to regularly assess and monitor the quality of the service. These systems are used to improve the service.