We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 23 February 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.

Oracle Dental Group - Coggeshall offers private dental care services. The services provided include preventative advice and treatment, routine restorative and a full range of private dental options. The practice is open 8.30am to 6pm Monday and Tuesday, 9am to 7.30pm Wednesday 9am to 5pm Thursday and 8.30am to 1pm on Friday. The premises are wheelchair accessible.

The practice has two dental treatment rooms and a separate decontamination room for cleaning, sterilising and packing dental instruments. Dental care is provided on two floors and has a reception and waiting area on the ground floor.

The practice has two dentists; they are supported by two part time dental hygienist/therapists, dental nurses, receptionists and a practice manager. The principal dentist is the registered manager. 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 legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the practice is run.

Our key findings were:

• There were effective systems in place to reduce the risk and spread of infection.
• There were systems in place to check all equipment had been serviced regularly.
• Staff had received safeguarding training and knew the processes to follow to raise any concerns.
• Patients’ care and treatment was planned and delivered in line with evidence based guidelines, best practice and current legislation.
• The practice ensured staff maintained the necessary skills and competence to support the needs of patients.
• There were sufficient numbers of suitably qualified staff to meet the needs of patients.
• Staff had been trained to handle emergencies and appropriate medicines and life-saving equipment were readily available.
• Patients received clear explanations about their proposed treatment, costs, benefits and risks and were involved in making decisions about it.
• Patients were treated with dignity and respect and confidentiality was maintained.
• The appointment system met the needs of patients and waiting times were kept to a minimum.
• There was an effective complaints system and the practice was open and transparent with patients if a mistake had been made.
• Where mistakes had been made patients were notified about the outcome of any investigation and given a suitable apology.
• The practice was well-led and staff felt involved and worked as a team.
• Governance systems were effective and there was a range of clinical and non-clinical audits to monitor the quality of services.

There were areas where the provider could make improvements and should:

• Review systems to seek feedback from patients about the services they provided.
• Review portable appliance testing (PAT) ensuring it is carried out in line with the Health and Safety Executive recommendations.

Review local x-ray rules to ensure they are kept within a radiation protection folder.

We found that people’s dental needs were assessed and treatment was planned and delivered in line with their agreed treatment plan. We saw that the service provided safe care as there were effective arrangements to guard against the risk of infection and to manage any emergencies.

There were clear policies and procedures covering all aspects of infection control including the effective decontamination of dental instruments.

We saw there were systems in place to ensure that staff were recruited appropriately and had regular training to ensure that people were provided with safe dental care and treatment.