We carried out this announced inspection on 18 December 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.

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

Royal House Dental Centre (RHDC) is based in Henley on Thames, a town in south Oxfordshire and provides NHS treatment to fee excempt patients and private treatment to patients of all ages.

There is level access for people who use wheelchairs and those with pushchairs via the side entrance to the practice. The practice does not have facility to offer blue badge parking for disabled patients attending the practice. Car parking spaces are available on street near the practice.

The dental team includes three dentists, one sedationist, three hygienists, three dental nurses, two receptionist and an administrator. The practice has four private 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 RHDC is the principal dentist.

On the day of inspection we collected 32 CQC comment cards filled in by patients and obtained the views of 21 other patients.

During the inspection we spoke with the principal dentist, two dentists, two dental nurses, a receptionist and the practice administrator. We looked at practice policies and procedures and other records about how the service is managed.

The practice is open 8am to 6pm Monday to Wednesday, 8am to 5pm Thursday and 8am to 2pm on Friday.

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 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 appointment system met patients’ needs.
• 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.