We carried out this announced inspection on 5 May 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

Mydentist, Burley Road, Oakham is in the county town of Rutland in the East Midlands and provides NHS and private treatment to patients of all ages.

There is a small single step at the front entrance of the building. Measures have been taken to enable people who use wheelchairs and pushchairs access to the practice if required. Car parking spaces, including those for patients with disabled badges, are available in a public car park directly opposite to the practice building.

The dental team includes five dentists, six dental nurses (including two trainees), a receptionist and a practice manager. At the time of our inspection, the practice were seeking to recruit a hygienist. The practice has four treatment rooms with one 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, Burley road, Oakham is the practice manager.

On the day of inspection we collected 27 CQC comment cards filled in by patients. This information mainly gave us a positive view of the practice.

During the inspection we spoke with one dentist, three dental nurses (one who also works as a receptionist) 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 8.30am to 6pm.

Our key findings were:

• The practice ethos included the provision of high quality dental care to its patients and offering excellent access to treatment in a welcoming environment.
• Effective leadership was provided by the provider with support from empowered practice management.
• Staff had been trained to deal with emergencies and appropriate medicines and life saving equipment was readily available in accordance with current guidelines.
• The practice appeared clean and well maintained.
• The practice had infection control procedures which reflected current published guidance.
• The practice had effective processes in place and staff knew their responsibilities for safeguarding adults and children living in vulnerable circumstances.
• The practice had adopted a process for the reporting and shared learning when untoward incidents occurred in the practice.
• Clinical staff provided dental care in accordance with current professional and National Institute for Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines.
• The practice were aware of the needs of the local population and took this into account when delivering the service.
• Patients had access to treatment and urgent and emergency care when required.
• Staff received training appropriate to their roles and were supported in their continued professional development (CPD) by the practice.
• Staff we spoke with felt supported by the provider and were committed to providing a quality service to their patients.
• The practice asked staff and patients for feedback about the services they provided. Information we obtained from 27 Care Quality Commission cards provided mainly positive feedback.

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

• Review their arrangements for staff communications in the event of an emergency as staff did not have access to panic buttons.
• Consider undertaking a risk assessment to determine whether a second ultra-sonic bath was required for mechanical cleaning of dental instruments.

People we spoke with told us they tried to choose appointments to suit them, however the practice was busy and some of the dentists did not work every day so waiting times were sometimes an issue. One person said that they had to wait as long as three months. Another person said that as well as the dental treatment given, the dentist always gave advice on dental care and teeth cleaning. One person said “The staff are really welcoming, the dentist that treats me is Hungarian, she is really good, the treatments are all fully explained as are the costs”.

We found ADP Dental Company - Oakham to be compliant in the regulations we inspected against.