We carried out this announced inspection on 3 July 2017 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.

We told the NHS England area team and Healthwatch that we were inspecting the practice. They did not have any relevant information to share with us regarding this dental practice.

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

Parklands Dental Care is located in premises in the Wollaton area of Nottingham and provides mainly NHS dental treatment (95%) to patients.

The practice is situated in a converted detached house. There is ramped access to the front door and ground floor treatment rooms giving level access for patients which made access easy for people who use wheelchairs and pushchairs.

The dental team includes three dentists; one hygiene therapist; three qualified dental nurses and one receptionist. The practice has two treatment rooms, both of which are on the ground floor.

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 Parklands Dental Care is the principal dentist.

On the day of inspection we collected eight CQC comment cards filled in by patients. In addition we spoke with four dental patients in the practice. This information gave us a positive view of the practice.

During the inspection we spoke with two dentists 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: 8 am to 5:30 pm; Tuesday: 8 am to 4:30 pm; Wednesday: 8 am to 12:30 pm; Thursday: 8 am to 7 pm and Friday: 8 am to 5:30 pm.

Our key findings were:

• The practice was clean and well maintained.
• The practice had infection control procedures which followed 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 risks in the practice, particularly with regard to health and safety.
• The practice had suitable safeguarding processes and staff had been trained and 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 steps to protect their privacy and personal information.
• The appointment system met patients’ needs. Patients said they could get an appointment that suited them.
• The practice had effective leadership. 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.

We spoke with two patients and three members of staff during our visit. We observed a number of patients attending the practice for their scheduled appointments, with their consent.

Patients we spoke with told us they were satisfied with the care and treatment they received. One patient told us they had been attending the practice for 15 years and there had been a lot of changes to the environment over the years.

The patients we spoke with both said that they were treated with dignity and the staff were very respectful. One patient said, “I have only been coming here for a short time and the treatment is very good.”

We found the practice to be calm and relaxed. One patient told us they found it easy to make an appointment and the running times were good.

We found the practice to be clean and tidy. Each member of staff wore the appropriate protective equipment and they were following the relevant guidelines for infection control.

We saw copies of information leaflets that were made available for the patients use, situated in the waiting area. We also found suitable information available on the practice website.