We carried out this announced inspection on Reepham Road Dental 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

Reepham Road Dental Practice is a well-established practice based in Norwich that provides mostly NHS treatment to patients of all ages. The dental team includes four part-time dentists, four dental nurses, one dental hygienist and two receptionists who serve about 16,000 patients. The practice has three treatment rooms and is open from 8am to 5.15pm from Mondays to Fridays.

There is level access for people who use wheelchairs and pushchairs, but no disabled toilet facilities.

The practice 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 Reepham Dental Care is the Operations Business Manager.

On the day of inspection we collected 49 CQC comment cards filled in by patients and spoke with three other patients. This information gave us a very positive view of the practice.

During the inspection we spoke with two dentists, two dental nurses, one of the receptionists and the practice manager. Senior managers representing the provider were also on site. We looked at the practice’s policies and procedures and other records about how the service was managed.

Our key findings were:

• The practice was clean and well maintained.
• The practice had infection control procedures that 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 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.