We carried out this announced inspection on 8 May 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

Nostell Place Dental Practice is in Doncaster and provides NHS and private treatment to adults and children.

There is level access for people who use wheelchairs and those with pushchairs. Car parking spaces are available near the practice.

The dental team includes two principal dentists and an associate dentist, three dental nurses (one of whom is a trainee), two dental hygiene therapists and a receptionist. The practice has two treatment rooms.

The practice is owned by a company 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 Nostell Place Dental Practice was the one of the two principal dentists.

On the day of inspection we collected 47 CQC comment cards filled in by patients.

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

The practice is open:

Monday – Thursday 9am – 5:30pm

Friday 9am – 2:30pm

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 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 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 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.
• 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 staff dealt with complaints positively and efficiently.
• The practice staff had suitable information governance arrangements.

We spoke with two people who used the service. They spoke positively about the care and treatment they had received. They told us they were provided with sufficient information for them to make a decision about their treatment. One person told us: "Very good information." Another person told us: "Staff are polite and kind. I can get an appointment of my choice. There is good communication."

We found the practice had systems in place to deal with foreseeable emergencies. Staff had received training in basic life support skills and cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

Evidence showed people were protected from the risk of infection because appropriate guidance had been followed. People we spoke with told us the practice was very clean and staff always wore protective clothing when treating patients.

Staff received appropriate professional development. A training programme was in place to provide staff with the training and support they needed to maintain their qualifications.

The provider had an effective system to regularly assess and monitor the quality of service that people received. There was evidence that learning from incidents and investigations took place and appropriate changes were implemented. The practice had a complaints policy and took account of complaints and comments to improve the service.