We carried out this short notice inspection on 2 October 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

MK Dental Practice is in Milton Keynes and provides private treatment to patients of all ages. The practice has been open for approximately 18 months.

There is level access for people who use wheelchairs and pushchairs. Car parking spaces, including five for patients with disabled badges, are available near the practice.

The dental team includes two dentists and two dental nurses who also act as receptionists. The practice has 3 treatment rooms. At the time of the inspection one treatment room was in use.

The practice is owned by a partnership 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 MK Dental Practice was one of the principal dentists.

Due to the inspection being carried out at short notice we did not collect any comment cards from patients. In addition no patients were available on the day of the inspection for us to talk to. Patient comments on social media and recorded through internet search engines spoke very positively about the practice.

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

The practice is open:

Monday from 9 am to 6 pm

Tuesday from 10 am to 2pm

Wednesday from 9 am to 6 pm

Thursday from 10 am to 8pm

Friday from 10 am to 2 pm

Saturday by prior 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 with the exception of an AED which was purchased following the inspection.
• The practice had some systems to help them manage risk. Certain risk assessments had not been completed at the time of the inspection.
• 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 did not complete formal staff appraisals at the time of the inspection.
• The practice asked staff and patients for feedback about the services they provided.
• The practice had a system in place to deal with complaints positively and efficiently.

There were areas where the provider could make improvements. They should:

• Review the use of risk assessments to monitor and mitigate the various risks arising from undertaking of the regulated activities.
• Review the practice’s system for recording, investigating and reviewing incidents or significant events with a view to preventing further occurrences and ensuring that improvements are made as a result.
• Review the training, learning and development needs of individual staff members at appropriate intervals and ensure an effective process is established for the on-going assessment, supervision and appraisal of all staff.