We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 10 January 2017 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

Queen Street Dental Practice is a small well-established dental practice that provides private treatment to adults and children. The practice has about 400 registered patients. The team consists of one part-time dentist, one part-time dental nurse and receptionist (who is the dentist’s wife, and a qualified dentist). The practice has one a treatment room, a separate room for the decontamination of instruments and a reception and waiting area. It opens three days a week from 8.45am to 5.30pmon Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.

The dentist is registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) as the registered manager. 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

Our key findings were:

• The practice had systems to help ensure patient safety. These included responding to medical emergencies, maintaining equipment and managing radiographs.

• The practice had good facilities and was well equipped to treat patients and meet their needs.

• The practice was visibly clean and well maintained. Infection control and decontamination procedures were good, ensuring patients’ safety.

• Patients’ needs were assessed and care was planned and delivered in line with current best practice guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and other published guidance.

• Patients were treated in a way that they liked and spoke highly of the caring and empathetic nature of the dentist. They told us they were actively involved in decisions about their treatment.

• The practice listened to its patients and staff and acted upon their feedback.

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

• Review training needs to ensure that all staff receive relevant training, to an appropriate level, in the safeguarding of children and vulnerable adults.

• Review the practice’s arrangements for receiving and responding to patient safety alerts, recalls and rapid response reports issued from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).

• Review the practice’s sharps handling procedures to ensure it complies with the Health and Safety (Sharp Instruments in Healthcare) Regulations 2013.

• Review the practice's protocols for completion of dental records giving due regard to guidance provided by the Faculty of General Dental Practice regarding clinical examinations and record keeping.

We spoke with three people within the waiting room who were attending appointments at the practice. They told us they felt respected by staff and were fully involved in the decisions about their dental care and treatment. Written information was available for people informing them of the prospective treatment and charges within the practice brochure and treatment plan they were given by the dentist.

People told us they felt safe in the surgery and felt confident in reporting any issues of concern to any of the staff employed at the practice, although they said they would initially speak to the dentist. One person told us: "All my family come here. I think I have a very professional dentist, the staff are friendly and know who I am."

All the records we asked to see were readily available. We saw within these records the practice was proactive in obtaining people's feedback.