We carried out this announced inspection on 4 September 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

Pearl Dental is based in Norwich and provides both private and NHS treatment to about 4,500 patients. The dental team includes five dentists, six nurses, a hygienist, a receptionist and practice manager. The practice has three treatment rooms.

The practice opens on Mondays to Thursdays from 8.30 am to 5.30 pm, and Fridays from 8.30am to 5pm. There is level access for people who use wheelchairs and those with pushchairs. There is some parking available on site as well as a specific disabled parking bay directly outside the premises. Additional on-road parking is available near the practice.

The practice is owned by a company 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 is the principal dentist.

On the day of inspection, we collected 38 CQC comment cards completed by patients, and spoke with another two. We spoke with the practice manager, two dentists and two nurses. We looked at practice policies and procedures and other records about how the service is managed.

Our key findings were:

• Information from completed Care Quality Commission comment cards gave us a positive picture of a caring, professional and high-quality service.

• The practice had effective systems to help ensure patient safety. These included safeguarding children and adults from abuse, maintaining the required standards of infection prevention and control, and responding to medical emergencies.

• Risk assessment was robust and action was taken to protect staff and patients.

• Clinical staff provided patients’ care and treatment in line with current guidelines

• Patients received their care and treatment from well supported staff, who enjoyed their work.

• Members of the dental team were up-to-date with their continuing professional development and were supported to meet the requirements of their professional registration.

• The practice had effective leadership and culture of continuous improvement.

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

• Review the security of NHS prescription pads in the practice and ensure there are systems in place to track and monitor their use.

• Review the need to effectively record caries, periodontal and cancer risks within patients’ dental care records, taking into account the guidance provided by the Faculty of General Dental Practice

• Review responsibilities to meet the needs of people with a disability, including those with hearing difficulties and the requirements of the Equality Act 2010.