We carried out this announced inspection on 6 December 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 Care Quality Commission (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

Nami Dental Clinic is in Hampstead, in the London borough of Camden. The practice provides private treatment to patients of all ages.

There is level access at the practice’s entrance for people who use wheelchairs and those with pushchairs. Limited and restricted car parking spaces, including those for patients with disabled badges, are available near the practice.

The dental team includes three dentists, one of whom attends to provide implant treatments on an ad-hoc basis as required, and another who attends on a part time basis to carry out root canal procedures. There is a dental nurse, a receptionist and an administrator. The practice has one treatment room.

The practice is owned by an individual Dr Nami Hammond who is the principal dentist there. They have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated regulations about how the practice is run.

On the day of inspection we obtained feedback from collected 17 patients. This information gave us a positive view of the practice.

During the inspection we spoke with a dentist, the dental nurse and the administrator. We checked practice policies and procedures and other records about how the service is managed.

The practice is open at the following times:

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday: 9am – 12pm, 1pm – 5pm

Saturday: 9am – 5pm

Our key findings were:

• The practice was clean and well maintained.
• The practice 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 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 appointment system met patients’ needs.
• The practice had effective leadership. Staff felt involved and supported and worked well as a team.
• The practice asked staff and patients for feedback about the services they provided.
• The practice dealt with complaints positively and efficiently.

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

• Review the practice's protocols for completion of dental care records taking into account guidance provided by the Faculty of General Dental Practice regarding clinical examinations and record keeping.