We carried out this announced inspection on 14 November 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.

We told the NHS England area team and Healthwatch that we were inspecting the practice. They did not have any relevant information to share with us regarding this dental practice.

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 practice is a located in the village of Kirk Hallam near Ilkeston in Derbyshire. The practice provides both NHS (50%) and private (50%) dental treatment to patients of all ages.

The practice is located on three floors with six treatment rooms, all of which are located on the ground floor. There is level access into the practice with an automatic sliding front door. There is also level access into the ground floor treatment rooms. There is a free car park outside the practice or roadside parking in the immediate area.

The dental team includes: four dentists; one oral surgeon; one dental hygienist; five qualified dental nurses including one trained in sedation; four trainee dental nurses; four receptionists and a practice manager.

The practice is owned by an organisation 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 the practice was the practice manager.

On the day of inspection we collected eight completed CQC comment cards and spoke with two patients in the practice. This information gave us a positive view of the practice.

During the inspection we spoke with three dentists, three dental nurses, two receptionists and the practice manager. We looked at practice policies and procedures and other records about how the service is managed.

The practice opening hours are: Monday to Friday: 9 am to 5:30 pm.

Our key findings were:

• The practice was clean and well maintained.
• The practice had infection control procedures which followed published guidance.
• The practice asked staff and patients for feedback about the services they provided, and received positive feedback.
• Staff knew how to deal with emergencies. Appropriate medicines and life-saving equipment were available.
• The practice had systems to help them manage risks in the practice, particularly with regard to health and safety.
• The practice had suitable safeguarding processes. Staff had been trained and 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 measures to protect their privacy and personal information.
• The appointment system met patients’ needs.
• The practice had effective leadership. Staff felt involved and supported and worked well as a team.
• The practice dealt with complaints positively and efficiently.

In this report the name of a registered manager, Ms Kathryn Stenson, appears. She was not in post and not managing the regulatory activities at this location at the time of the inspection. Their name appears because they were still a Registered Manager on our register at the time of this report.

As part of this inspection we spoke with five people who used the service and seven members of staff including two dentists.

We saw that consent had been obtained and that treatment plans were completed. People we spoke with felt that procedures were explained and that they were able to ask questions.

The majority of the people spoke with were happy with the care and service provided by the provider. One person told us that their dentist was “Really good”. Another person who used the service stated that they had “Always dealt with me properly” and that they had “No quibbles or complaints” about the service.

There were effective systems in place to reduce the risk and spread of infection and staff understood the importance of these.

The provider had carried out sufficient pre-employment checks on all staff members to ensure that they were suitable to work in this environment.

The provider had systems in place to monitor the quality of the service.