We carried out this announced inspection on 7 June 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, Mapperley Dental Practice is in North Nottingham and provides mainly NHS dental treatment to both adults and children.

There is ramped access into the practice. This is of benefit for people who use wheelchairs and those with pushchairs. Car parking spaces, including spaces for blue badge holders, are available near the practice.

The dental team includes seven dentists, one implantologist, two dental hygienists, five qualified dental nurses, two trainee dental nurses, one part-time clinical dental technician two receptionists and one practice manager. The practice has seven treatment rooms, four of which are 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 – Mapperley is the practice manager.

On the day of inspection, we received feedback from 32 patients.

During the inspection we spoke with four dentists, four dental nurses, one 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: 8.45am to 5.15pm. The practice is closed on Saturday and Sunday.

Our key findings were:

• The practice appeared clean and well maintained.
• The practice staff 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 staff 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.

We spoke with one patient and observed others attending the practice for their appointments. We observed one patient receiving treatment, with their consent. We also spoke with six members of staff.

We found patients were fully involved with their care and treatment. They had discussions with the dentist who covered all available options before the patient made an informed choice of what treatment to have.

We found patients were spoken to in a calm and polite manner. We saw patients who visited the practice were treated respectfully. One patient told us the staff always treated them with dignity and respect whenever they visited. The practice was calm and relaxing. We saw patients had a good relationship with the staff and were made to feel welcome.

We found the practice to be clean and well maintained. One patient told us they felt the practice was very clean and they felt safe as the staff always wore protective clothing when they provided care and treatment.

The reception area was spacious with seating for four patients. There were other waiting areas available on the ground and first floor, outside the relevant dental surgeries. Access was available for patients with disabilities.

We saw systems in place to undertake appropriate monitoring of the practice to ensure patients were safe.