We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 18 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.

Background

Portland Road Family Dental Centre is situated over two floors of premises close to the centre of Hucknall in north Nottinghamshire. The practice was registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in October 2011. The practice provides regulated dental services to patients from Hucknall and the surrounding area. The practice provides mostly NHS dental treatment. Services provided include general dentistry, dental hygiene, crowns and bridges, and root canal treatment.

The practice’s opening hours are: Monday to Friday: 8 am to 6 pm. The practice is closed at the weekend.

Access for urgent treatment outside of opening hours is by ringing the practice and following the instructions on the answerphone message. Alternatively patients should ring the 111 telephone number for access to the NHS emergency dental service.

The practice manager is the registered manager. A registered manager is a person who is registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) 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.

The practice has six dentists; there are six trainee dental nurses one of whom also works on reception, plus two receptionists and one practice manager.

We received positive feedback from 33 patients about the services provided. This was through CQC comment cards left at the practice prior to the inspection and by speaking with patients in the practice.

Our key findings were:

• Patients spoke positively about the dental services they received, and said they were treated with dignity and respect.
• Treatment options were identified, explored and discussed with patients.
• Patients’ confidentiality was maintained.
• There were systems in place to record accidents, significant events and complaints, and where learning points were identified these were shared with staff.
• The records showed that apologies had been given for any concerns or upset that patients had experienced at the practice.
• There was a detailed whistleblowing policy and procedures for both internal and external use, and staff were aware of these procedures and how to use them. All staff had access to the whistleblowing policy.
• Records showed there were sufficient numbers of suitably qualified staff to meet the needs of patients.
• The practice had the necessary equipment for staff to deal with medical emergencies, and staff had been trained how to use that equipment. This included oxygen and emergency medicines.
• The practice followed the relevant guidance from the Department of Health's: ‘Health Technical Memorandum 01-05 (HTM 01-05) for infection control.
• Dentists involved patients in discussions about the care and treatment on offer at the practice. Patient recall intervals were in line with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance.

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

• Review the storage arrangements of chemicals in the cleaning cupboard to ensure they are stored securely and in accordance with the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations 2002.

Make arrangements to facilitate the monitoring of the temperature of the water used in the scrubbing sink in the decontamination room. This would support effective cleaning of the dental instruments.

We spoke with three patients and four members of staff during our visit.

Patients told us they were involved with their care and treatment and the dentist always made decisions regarding their treatment with the patients’ consent.

We observed staff speaking to patients in a friendly and respectful manner. They kept conversations confidential where possible and one staff member told us they always close the surgery door when a patient was receiving treatment.

We were told by patients that staff always welcomed them when they first arrived at the surgery. They said they received enough information to make the appropriate choices regarding the treatments to meet their needs.

The surgeries were clean; equipment and stock were maintained to appropriate levels and standards of cleanliness.

Staff told us they received sufficient training to help support them do their job. They said they were supported by the provider and felt they were listened to and the management was very approachable.

We saw sufficient audits were undertaken. These showed regular monitoring for the quality of service provision and assessment of the practice’s management procedures to meet patients’ requirements and the British Dental Association’s good practice scheme.