We carried out this announced inspection on 6 December 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 – Risley Hill is located in the Sandiacre area to the west of Nottingham, close to the M1 motorway. The practice provides mostly NHS dental treatment to both adults and children.

The practice has five treatment rooms, one of which is located on the ground floor. This is of benefit for people who use wheelchairs and those with pushchairs. There is limited car parking available at the practice, otherwise there is roadside parking in the area.

The dental team includes five dentists, one specialist orthodontist, one dentist who provides implants, one dental hygienist, seven qualified 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 Mydentist Risley Hill is the practice manager.

On the day of inspection, we received feedback from 44 patients.

During the inspection we spoke with five dentists, two 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 Thursday: from 9am to 5.30pm, 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 staff had infection control procedures which reflected published guidance.
• Staff knew how to deal with emergencies. Appropriate medicines and the recommended 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 the staff records required by schedule three of the Health and Social Care Act (2008)
• 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, although there was scope for improvement regarding audits completed in the practice. As they did not always have clear learning points recorded or action plans to facilitate those improvements.
• Staff felt involved and supported and worked well as a team.

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

• Review the practice’s protocols to ensure audits of radiography, dental care records and antimicrobial prescribing are undertaken to ensure that, where appropriate, audits have documented learning points and the resulting improvements can be demonstrated.