We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 1 November 2016 to ask the practice the following key questions; Are services safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led?

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

New Street Dental Practice has two dentists who work part time, a dental hygienist, orthodontic therapist, a qualified dental nurse who is registered with the General Dental Council (GDC) and a practice manager who also works on the reception. The practice’s opening hours are 9am to 5pm on Monday and Wednesday, 9am to 4pm on Tuesday and Friday, 9.30am to 6.30pm on Thursday. The practice is also open from 9am to 1pm on one Saturday per month.

New Street Dental Practice provides is an invisalign orthodontic practice for private fee paying patients but routine and cosmetic private dental treatment for adults and children can also be provided on request. The practice has one dental treatment room on the first floor and a consultation room. There is a separate decontamination room for cleaning, sterilising and packing dental instruments. There is also a reception and waiting area.

The registered manager was present during this inspection. A registered manager is a person who is registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have a legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the practice is run.

Before the inspection we sent Care Quality Commission comments cards to the practice for patients to complete to tell us about their experience of the practice and during the inspection we spoke with patients. We received feedback from 14 patients who provided an overwhelmingly positive view of the services the practice provides. All of the patients commented that the quality of care was very good, dentists were knowledgeable and professional and staff were friendly.

Our key findings were

• Systems were in place for the recording and learning from significant events and accidents.
• Staff had received training regarding safeguarding vulnerable adults and child protection and were aware of the procedure for reporting any suspicions of abuse.
• There were sufficient numbers of suitably qualified staff to meet the needs of patients.
• Patients were treated with dignity and respect.
• The practice was visibly clean and well maintained.
• Infection control procedures were in place with infection prevention and control audits being undertaken on a six monthly basis. Staff had access to personal protective equipment such as gloves and aprons.
• There was appropriate equipment for staff to undertake their duties, and equipment was well maintained.
• The provider had emergency medicines in line with the British National Formulary (BNF) guidance for medical emergencies in dental practice.
• Staff had been trained to deal with medical emergencies.
• The appointment system met the needs of patients and waiting times were kept to a minimum.
• The practice had a whistle blowing policy and staff spoken with said that they would not hesitate to blow the whistle on any poor practice.
• The practice was well-led and staff felt involved and worked as a team.
• Governance arrangements were in place for the smooth running of the practice and there was a structured plan in place to audit quality and safety beyond the mandatory audits for infection control and radiography.

Our inspection visit was discussed and arranged with the practice two days in advance. We visited the practice over two days this was to ensure that we had time to see and speak with all levels of staff working at the practice. We were able to speak with four people who used the service at one of our visits and also spoke with three people who used the service by telephone after our visit.

People that used the practice told us that they were happy with the quality of treatment they received and would recommend the practice. They told us they were given enough information about their treatment options and costs. Their comments included: "I was initially very nervous but they calmed me down," and "They saw me quickly when I needed them to."

When we observed one consultation and we saw the dentist spoke with the person about their general health and well-being. Other people confirmed that this had also been their experience.

The provider had robust infection control processes in place and staff were fully aware of them. This meant the risk of infection for people using the service was minimised.

Staff received training so that they had up to date knowledge and skills in order to ensure that people received safe treatment.

There were systems in place to monitor how the practice was run to ensure people received a quality service. This meant people using the service were asked their views about the service so the provider could use the information to improve.