We carried out this announced inspection on 11 February 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

Puresmile Earley Limited is in Reading and provides NHS and private treatment to patients of all ages.

There is level access for people who use wheelchairs and those with pushchairs. Car parking spaces, including a space for blue badge holders, is available at the front of the practice.

The dental team includes six dentists, two dental nurses, two trainee dental nurses, one dental hygienist, one receptionists and a practice manager. 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 Puresmile Earley Limited is the practice manager.

On the day of our inspection we collected 17 CQC comment cards filled in by patients and obtained the views of nine patients who attended the practice during our visit.

During the inspection we spoke with two dentists, two dental nurses, 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 9.00am – 5.30pm
• Tuesday 9.00am – 5.30pm
• Wednesday 9.00am – 5.30pm
• Thursday 9.00am – 7.00pm
• Friday 9.00am – 5.30pm
• Saturday 9.00am – 1pm (every other week)

Our key findings were:

• The practice appeared 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 suitable safeguarding processes and staff knew their responsibilities for safeguarding adults and children.
• The practice had 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 practice was providing preventive care and supporting patients to ensure better oral health.
• The appointment system met patients’ needs.
• 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 had suitable information governance arrangements.
• Improvements were required to several areas of the practice.

We spoke with five people who were using the practice at the time of our visit. People we spoke with were complimentary about staff and the quality of care provided to them. One person said “They are very friendly and welcoming.” Another person said “I have no qualms about visiting the dentist. They are very good here.”

People told us they felt the practice gave them enough information about their treatment choices to inform their decisions. They told us staff explained the risks and benefits of various treatments before they were asked to consent. One person told us “The staff always give detailed explanations about treatments and always answer my questions.”

We saw people's medical and dental health needs were accurately documented and updated at each visit. Records of consultations were detailed and comprehensive.

We saw the practice was clean and satisfactorily maintained and the staff followed appropriate infection control policies and procedures when carrying out the treatment of patients.

Staff told us they felt well supported by management and were offered appropriate training in core skills at regular intervals. We saw staff were appraised annually and attended regular team meetings that informed them of new policies, procedures and ways of working.

We found the provider met the outcomes we inspected and had systems in place to monitor its own performance against regulations. People were asked for their opinions about the quality of care provided.