We carried out this announced inspection on 11 July 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.

We told the NHS England area team and Healthwatch that we were inspecting the practice. They did not have any relevant information to share with us regarding this dental 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

Queens Road Dental Care is located in premises to the west of Nottingham city centre and provides mostly private dental treatment (97%) to patients of all ages.

The practice is located on two floors with a flight of steps to access the first floor. There are eight treatment rooms, three of which are located on the ground floor. The practice has its own car park with parking available for patients including a place for patients with mobility problems outside the front door.

The dental team includes seven dentists; three hygienists; nine qualified dental nurses; one trainee dental nurse; four receptionists; one practice manager and one practice support manager.

The practice is owned by an individual who is the principal dentist there. They have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated regulations about how the practice is run.

On the day of inspection we collected eight CQC comment cards filled in by patients and spoke with two other patients. This information gave us a positive view of the practice.

During the inspection we spoke with three dentists, two hygienist and four dental nurses 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: 8 am to 6:30 pm; Tuesday: 8 am to 6:30 pm; Wednesday: 8 am to 7:30 pm; Thursday: 8 am to 6 pm and Friday: 8 am to 5 pm.

Our key findings were:

• The practice was clean and well maintained.
• The practice had infection control procedures which followed published guidance.
• Patients provided positive feedback about the service and the staff.
• Staff knew how to deal with emergencies. Appropriate medicines and life-saving equipment were available.
• Dentists said they used rubber dam when completing root canal treatment in-line with the guidance issued by the British Endodontic Society
• The practice had systems to help them manage risks in the practice, particularly with regard to health and safety.
• The practice had suitable safeguarding processes. Staff had been trained and 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 measures to protect their privacy and personal information.
• The appointment system met patients’ needs. Patients said they could get an appointment that suited them.
• 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.

We spoke with six patients during our visit. They all told us they were given options about treatment when they visited the dentist. Everyone said the dentist explained different treatment options that were available and what this entailed. One patient told us, "They always explain things in a way I can understand and give me the time to ask questions."

All six patients we spoke with told us they thought the time they spent in the waiting room was acceptable. One person said, "I’m normally only waiting a few minutes.”

The patients we spoke with all told us they thought the practice was clean. One patient said, "It always seems very clean and I see the dentist changing their gloves."

Training was being provided for staff to cover important areas such as safeguarding of children and vulnerable adults, infection control and first aid. This training was provided every year.