We carried out this announced inspection on 17 May 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 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

This Mydentist dental practice is in Newark in north Nottinghamshire and provides both NHS and private dental treatment for adults and children.

There is level access for people who use wheelchairs and those with pushchairs. Pay and display car parking including spaces for blue badge holders are available close to the practice.

The dental team includes seven dentists, one implantologist, one orthodontist, eight qualified dental nurses, five student dental nurses, four receptionists, one treatment co-ordinator, and one practice manager. The practice has nine treatment rooms, four on the ground floor.

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 Mydentist Appleton Gate in Newark is the practice manager.

On the day of inspection we received feedback from 51 patients. This gave us a positive view of the practice.

During the inspection we spoke with three dentists, four dental nurses 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 Friday: from 9am to 5pm. The practice is closed on Saturday and Sunday.

Our key findings were:

• The practice appeared 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 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.
• 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.
• The practice had suitable information governance arrangements.

We spoke to two people in private who were satisfied with the service they were receiving and only had the highest compliments for all the staff they came into contact during their visits. They all indicated that they felt fully involved in their treatment. They told us they always had available treatment options explained clearly for them. They also noted that they were given time, after initial consultations, to make choices about what treatment to receive.

The two people we spoke with said that the practice, in their experience was always clean. Each person we asked confirmed that the dentists and nurses always offer them glasses to protect their eyes, wear these themselves and that they always wear disposable gloves. People told us that they see staff take their gloves off and wash their hands and put clean gloves on.