We carried out this announced inspection on 17 April 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

Oracle Dental Group - Bromley Road Dental Surgery is in Colchester 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 behind the practice.

The dental team includes two principal dentists, four associate dentists, five extended dental duties nurses, one dental nurse, two dental hygiene therapists, four receptionists and the practice manager. The practice has ten treatment rooms and four decontamination rooms including the training decontamination room. The practice is a vocational training practice and facilitates training for foundation dentists, Master of Science Degree (MSc) clinicians from the university, undergraduate hygienists, undergraduate dental therapists and apprentice dental nurses through the local education institute.

The practice is owned by a partnership 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 Oracle Dental Group - Bromley Road Dental Surgery was the principal dentist.

On the day of inspection we collected 46 CQC comment cards filled in by patients and spoke with three other patients.

During the inspection we spoke with four dentists, three dental nurses, two receptionists 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 from 8am to 5pm

Tuesday from 8am to 5pm

Wednesday from 8am to 6:30pm

Thursday from 8am to 5pm

Friday from 8am to 5pm

Our key findings were:

• The practice staff 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. There was a process in place for the reporting and shared learning when significant events occurred in the practice.
• The practice staff had suitable safeguarding processes and staff knew their responsibilities for safeguarding adults and children.
• 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. Patients could access routine treatment and urgent and emergency care when required.
• 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. Verbal complaints were reviewed and audited.
• The practice staff had suitable information governance arrangements.

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

• Review the practice's protocols and procedures to ensure staff are up to date with their highly recommended training and their continuing professional development.

We found that dental care was provided according to people's assessed needs and people were informed of their treatment choices. The waiting area was welcoming and had a range of information about dental care and oral hygiene.

We spoke with staff who told us about the quality checking and safety measures at the service to ensure a high quality and safe service. We saw that the service had effective systems to promote cleanliness and reduce the risk of cross infection. We found that staff were trained appropriately and had the skills required to provide effective and safe care.

We spoke with five people who told us they were very happy with the service. Three people said they had joined the dental practice as a result of family recommendation. People told us they were given explanation to make choices about their care and treatment.