We carried out this announced inspection on 28 January 2019 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

Oak Dental Practice is in the London Borough of Hillingdon and provides private treatment to adults and children.

There is access for people who use wheelchairs and those with pushchairs. car parking spaces are available near the practice, including one for blue badge holders, are available outside the practice.

The dental team includes the principal dentist, three hygienists, one trainee dental nurse, a receptionist and a practice manager

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 32 CQC comment cards filled in by patients.

During the inspection we spoke with the principal dentist, hygienist, trainee dental nurse, the receptionist 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, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday 8.30am to 5pm
• Tuesday 9am to 7 pm
• Saturdays 9am to 1pm

Our key findings were:

• The practice appeared 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 provider 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.
• Staff were providing preventive care and supporting patients to ensure better oral health.
• The appointment system took account of patients’ needs.
• The practice had effective leadership and a 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 dealt with complaints positively and efficiently.
• The practice had suitable information governance arrangements.

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

• Review the practice’s audit protocols to ensure audits of various aspects of the service, such as radiography are undertaken at regular intervals to help improve the quality of service. Practice should also ensure, that where appropriate audits have documented learning points and the resulting improvements can be demonstrated.
• Review the practice’s arrangements for receiving and responding to patient safety alerts, recalls and rapid response reports issued from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and through the Central Alerting System (CAS), as well as from other relevant bodies, such as Public Health England (PHE).

We met with two patients and four members of staff.

Both patients said they were recommended to attend the dental practice. They confirmed the treatment and costs were explained to them. We observed positive interactions between a patient and dentist and other staff were friendly and professional.

Patients said the practice was clean and we saw there were systems were in place to manage infection prevention and control.

Staff received the training they needed to carry out their roles and responsibilities safely and effectively.

Both patients said they had no complaints and would talk with the dentist if they had a query or concern.