We carried out this announced inspection on 15 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

Park Road Dental Practice is in Wallsend and provides NHS and private treatment to adults and children.

There are two small steps in front of the premises. Patients are made aware of this prior to an appointment. Car parking spaces are available near the practice, including for blue badge holders.

The dental team includes a principal dentist, two associate dentists, the practice manager, three dental nurses, a dental therapist and a receptionist. The practice has three treatment rooms.

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 22 CQC comment cards filled in by patients and spoke with one patient. This provided a positive view of the practice.

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

The practice is open:

Monday to Friday 9am to 5.30pm.

Our key findings were:

• The practice appeared clean and well maintained.
• The practice had infection control procedures which reflected published guidance. Some areas required review.
• Staff knew how to deal with emergencies. Appropriate medicines and life-saving equipment were not available in accordance with national guidance. These were immediately ordered.
• The practice had systems to help them manage risks.
• The practice had systems to help them manage risks.
• The provider had suitable safeguarding processes and staff knew their responsibilities for safeguarding adults and children.
• The practice had staff recruitment procedures. The processes for undertaking Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks and for monitoring immunisation status of staff required reviewing.
• Staff treated patients with dignity and respect and took care to protect their privacy and personal information. The practice had closed-circuit television on the premises; there were no signs to make people aware of this and there was no policy or data protection impact assessment in place.
• 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 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.

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

• Review the practice's recruitment procedures to ensure that appropriate checks are completed prior to new staff commencing employment at the practice.

• Review the practice’s protocols for the use of closed-circuit television cameras taking into account the guidelines published by the Information Commissioner's Office
• Review the practice’s infection control procedures and protocols taking into account the guidelines issued by the Department of Health in the Health Technical Memorandum 01-05: Decontamination in primary care dental practices, and having regard to The Health and Social Care Act 2008: ‘Code of Practice about the prevention and control of infections and related guidance’.
• Review the availability of equipment in the practice to manage medical emergencies taking into account the guidelines issued by the Resuscitation Council (UK) and the General Dental Council.
• Review the practice’s procedures for monitoring referrals and prescriptions taking account national guidance.

We spoke with four people and asked them for their views of the treatment they had received at the practice. People told us they felt satisfied with the way they were involved in planning their treatment. They told us their views were respected and the treatment they received reflected their choices. We found people's views and experiences were taken into account in the way the service was provided and delivered in relation to their care.

People said they were very happy with the treatment they received. They described the treatment as "excellent." We considered that people experienced care, treatment and support that met their needs and protected their rights.

We found that people who used the service were protected from the risk of abuse because the provider had taken reasonable steps to identify the possibility of abuse and prevent abuse from happening.

People told us the practice was always clean. One person commented, "It's always very clean." We saw that the treatment rooms, decontamination rooms, waiting area and other communal areas were clean and tidy. We concluded that people were cared for in a clean, hygienic environment.

People told us that they thought staff knew what they were doing. We found staff received appropriate training to equip them with the skills to do their job.

Systems were in place to identify, assess and manage risks to health, safety and welfare of people using the service and others.