We carried out a comprehensive inspection of Morgan Dental Practice on 28 January 2015.

Morgan Dental Practice provides general dental treatment and orthodontics. There is capacity under a limited NHS contract for general treatment for adults and children as well as an NHS orthodontic contract for children. Other patients are treated on a private fee paying basis or under a care plan.

There were three dentists including the principal dentist. A fourth dentist – the co-owner of the practice had retired from clinical dentistry. One of the dentists worked one day a week carrying out orthodontic treatment. A hygienist also worked at the practice.

Before the inspection we sent CQC comment cards to the practice for patients to complete. We received 31 completed comments cards and spoke with two patients on the day of the inspection. Overall these patients were positive about the practice and described the staff team as polite, helpful and pleasant. Patients commented that they were very pleased with their care they had received.

Our key findings were:

• The practice had systems to monitor patient safety through reporting and learning from incidents and significant events. The premises were clean and there was clear guidance available regarding infection prevention and control.

• The practice carried out assessments and planned treatment in line with current guidance. Staff received training appropriate to their roles and told us they felt well supported to carry out their work.

• Patients told us they were treated with kindness and respect by staff. Staff were knowledgeable about patient confidentiality and we observed good interaction between staff and patients during the inspection.

• The practice had recorded and acted upon complaints made in order to improve the service for patients. Patients were able to make routine and emergency appointments when needed. There were clear instructions for patients regarding out of hours care.

• There were leadership roles within the practice and staff told us they felt well supported and comfortable to raise concerns or make suggestions.

However, there were some areas of practice where the provider needs to make improvements.

The provider should:

• Keep all risk assessments under regular review
• Ensure the business continuity plan has a comprehensive process for recovering from unexpected events that threaten stability of the practice.
• Carry out regular checks on all emergency equipment.
• Assure themselves that all clinical staff have a working knowledge of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA).

This practice is located on first floor level and would not be accessible to people who have restricted mobility. The premises consisted of a awaiting area, treatment rooms, a decontamination room and toilet.

The dental team consisted of two dentists, one hygienist, five dental nurses and a receptionist. All the staff were registered with the General Dental Council.

We found that people were informed of their treatment options and their consent for treatment was obtained. One person who used the service said, "My dentist explained the treatment I needed and how much it would cost.”

We found that dental records provided relevant information about what treatment people had received and when a follow up visit was required.

We found that the decontamination process for dental instruments was satisfactory to reduce the risk of cross infection.

The staff recruitment practice was not entirely robust to ensure all staff had the appropriate safety checks. One person who used the service said, “The staff are very professional, friendly and polite.”

The practice had a quality assurance monitoring system in place to ensure people were not at risk of inappropriate care or treatment.