We carried out this announced inspection on 30 October 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

Mydentist - Kingston Road - Coventry is in the Earlsdon area of Coventry and provides NHS and private treatment to adults and children.

There is level access for people who use wheelchairs and those with pushchairs. Car parking spaces are available on the streets near to the practice.

The dental team includes three dentists, three dental nurses (one of whom is a trainee), one dental hygienist, two receptionists and a practice manager. The practice has three treatment rooms.

The practice is owned by a corporate 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 - Kingston Road - Coventry is the practice manager.

On the day of inspection we collected 50 CQC comment cards filled in by patients and looked at recent survey responses.

During the inspection we spoke with one dentist, two dental nurses, one regulatory officer, one area development manager 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 from 9am to 5pm

Tuesday from 8.30am to 5pm

Wednesday from 9am to 7pm

Thursday from 9am to 5pm

Friday from 9am to 5pm

Saturday from 9am to 1pm

Our key findings were:

• The practice was part of a large corporate group which had a head office based in Manchester where support teams including human resources, IT, finance, health and safety, learning and development, clinical support and patient support services were based. These teams supported and offered expert advice and updates to the practice when required.
• The practice appeared clean and well maintained.
• The provider 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 to patients and staff.
• The practice staff had suitable safeguarding processes and staff knew their responsibilities for safeguarding vulnerable adults and children. Safeguarding training simulations were carried out monthly and were recorded to ensure all staff were confident in identifying potential safeguarding concerns.
• The provider had thorough staff recruitment procedures. The practice had access to support from a dedicated human resources and recruitment team based within the company’s head office.
• 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 provider was providing preventive care and supporting patients to ensure better oral health.
• The appointment system met patients’ needs. Patients could access treatment and emergency care when required.
• The practice had effective leadership and culture of continuous improvement. Two of the managers we spoke with advised that they had been supported and developed into management roles within the organisation.
• Staff felt involved and supported and worked well as a team. There was an effective staffing structure which extended to senior management who were visible and supported the practice manager on the day of our visit by basing themselves at the practice.
• The practice asked staff and patients for feedback about the services they provided. Survey results and feedback were on display in the waiting room for patients to read.
• The provider dealt with complaints positively and efficiently.
• The provider had suitable information governance arrangements.
• The practice manager reviewed all policies annually and discussed them with staff at monthly staff meetings. Team members understanding was then tested by quizzes developed by the practice manager to embed learning.

We visited the service on 29 March 2012. We met with the practice manager and the area manager for ADP Dental Care. We spoke with one of the dentists and a dental nurse during our visit.

We spoke with seven people who had recently visited the practice on the telephone. We asked them about their experiences of using the dental service, if they felt well informed, put at ease and if they were happy with the treatment on offer. They all gave positive feedback about the service they had received. People told us, “Everyone is really friendly” and “The dentist I see always explains everything to me so I understand what she is going to do.” One of the people we spoke with had a mobility difficulty. We were told “I’m a wheelchair user and don’t have any problem getting in and out of the surgery. The treatment room I use is downstairs. I can’t transfer to the couch so the dentist does all my treatment in my chair.”

People told us that they were able to make an appointment quiet easily. Three people said that they sometimes had to wait if the dentist was seeing an emergency appointment. One person said “Last time I went I had to wait about twenty minutes, but the receptionist told me why so I didn’t mind.”

We asked the dentist how the surgery decided on a treatment plan with a person. We were told this would depend on the oral health assessment that is completed at the start of each course of treatment. We were shown a completed assessment and people we spoke with told us that everything was always explained to them. One person told us “My dentist always explains everything to me. I was shown my x rays and she explained what needed to be done”.

People we spoke with said that everything in the practice always looked clean and tidy. People confirmed that the dentists and nurses offered them glasses to protect their eyes during treatment. We were told the dentists wore these themselves and that they always wore disposable gloves. We observed the process for cleaning instruments and the nurse described how the equipment was monitored to ensure it was working efficiently. Staff spoken with told us that they had attended training in infection control and the decontamination of equipment.

All the people we spoke with were happy with the service they received. One person said “It’s a good dentist, I am happy with the service they provide” and another said “Everyone is really friendly, the dentist I see is very professional, she takes her time and puts you at ease.” We asked if people had ever had to make a complaint. People we spoke with told us that they had no reason to complain but would speak to the receptionist or the manager if they were unhappy with anything.