We carried out this announced inspection on 18 April 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.

The practice did not provide NHS treatment; therefore, we did not notify the NHS England area team and Healthwatch that we were inspecting the 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

The Pearl Dental Clinic is in Kingston Upon Thames and provides private treatment to patients of all ages.

There is level access for people who use wheelchairs and pushchairs. Car parking spaces are available in the side street, near the practice.

The dental team includes three dental partners, three dental nurse, two receptionists and three locum dental specialists; periodontist, endodontist and prosthodontist. The practice has three treatment rooms.

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 The Pearl Dental Clinic was the partner.

On the day of inspection we collected 10 CQC comment cards filled in by patients and spoke with no other patients. This information gave us a positive view of the practice.

During the inspection, we spoke with two dentists, one dental nurse, one receptionist 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 to Sunday: 9:00am to 9:00pm

Our key findings were:

• The practice was clean and well maintained.
• The practice 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.
• The practice had suitable safeguarding processes and staff 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 care to protect their privacy and personal information.
• The appointment system met patients’ needs.
• 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.

People we spoke with told us they were happy with the level of consultation and information provided to them. One person told us, "Everything is explained and they make you feel at ease". Other comments that we looked at on the practice's website included praise for their emergency treatment and easy appointment system.

The practice had three surgery rooms where consultations could take place in private. People who used wheelchairs could be accommodated either in their wheelchair or transferred to the dental chair.

The provider was able to demonstrate that although the patient's wishes were a priority the practice would not provide cosmetic or oral health treatment that the dentist considered unsafe or unhealthy even if the patient seemed to wish it.

People's needs were assessed and treatment was planned and delivered in line with their individual care plan. There were effective systems in place to reduce the risk and spread of infection. This included a daily clean of the surgeries, cleaning of chairs and equipment between patient visits and protective coverings on items such as computer keyboards and mice in the surgery.

The provider had an effective system to regularly assess and monitor the quality of service that people receive and had an effective system in place to identify, assess and manage risks to the health, safety and welfare of people who use the service and others.