We carried out this announced inspection on 25 May 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.

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

Mill Dental Centre is in Crawley, West Sussex and provides private and NHS treatment to patients of all ages.

The practice resides in a purpose built premises and has four treatment rooms that are located over two levels. There is level access for people who use wheelchairs and pushchairs. Two treatment rooms reside on the ground level to provide access for people with mobility problems. There are car parking spaces available at the rear and front drive of the practice.

The dental team consists of three dentists (including the principal owner), two dental hygienists, four dental nurses, three receptionists and a practice manager (who also works as a dental nurse).

The practice is owned by an individual 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 collected 71 CQC comment cards filled in by patients. This information gave us an entirely positive view of the practice.

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

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.

We spoke with six patients, some of whom also had relatives who were patients of the practice. One patient said, "I definitely always recommend the practice." Another patient said of their dentist . . . "I'm happy with him . . . he never hurt me." Another patient said, "I wouldn't change dentists. I would recommend." Most of the patients we spoke with had been to the practice for many years and their family members were also patients. They told us that they were given information and choice about their dental procedures. They said that costs and options were discussed with them. Patients said they were happy with the dental care they received and that it met their needs.

We found that the practice had robust procedures in place for cleaning and decontaminating the environment and instruments. The practice kept thorough records of these practices.

We spoke with all three dentists at the practice, three dental nurses, the decontamination assistant, the hygienist and the practice manager. Staff received appropriate support, training and professional development. The dentist and dental nurses were registered with the General Dental Council and had completed appropriate professional development to maintain these registrations. The staff worked together as a team to support one another's learning and development.

The provider had an effective system to regularly assess and monitor the quality of service that people received.