We carried out this announced inspection on 5 October 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

Rose Cottage Dental Practice is in Sleaford, a market town in Lincolnshire. It provides some NHS but mostly private treatment (85%) to patients of all ages. The practice are not currently accepting applications from new NHS patients.

There is level access for people who use wheelchairs and pushchairs. (A portable ramp is available). The practice does not have a car park but public parking facilities are available next to the practice. These include spaces for blue badge holders.

The dental team includes four dentists (including two principals), a visiting implant dentist, six dental nurses, three dental hygienists and two receptionists. A trainee practice manager is also employed. The practice has five treatment rooms, two of these are on the ground floor. The practice is currently being refurbished.

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 Rose Cottage Dental Practice is one of the principal dentists.

On the day of inspection we collected 45 CQC comment cards filled in by patients. This information gave us a very positive view of the practice. We did not receive any negative feedback.

During the inspection we spoke with four dentists, two dental nurses, one dental hygienist, a receptionist and the trainee practice manager. We looked at practice policies and procedures and other records about how the service is managed.

The practice is open Monday 9am to 7pm, Tuesday to Friday 9am to 5pm.

Our key findings were:

• Effective leadership from the provider was evident.
• Staff had been trained to deal with emergencies and appropriate medicines and most life saving equipment was readily available in accordance with current guidelines.
• The practice appeared clean and well maintained.
• The practice had infection control procedures which reflected current published guidance.
• The practice had effective processes in place and staff knew their responsibilities for safeguarding adults and children living in vulnerable circumstances.
• The practice had adopted a process for the reporting of untoward incidents and shared learning when they occurred in the practice.
• Clinical staff provided dental care in accordance with current professional and National Institute for Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines.
• Staff were aware of the needs of the local population and had deployed some measures in the practice, in response.
• Patients had access to routine treatment and emergency care when required.
• Staff received training appropriate to their roles and were supported in their continuing professional development (CPD) by the practice.
• The practice dealt with complaints positively and efficiently.
• Staff we spoke with felt supported by the provider and were committed to providing a quality service to their patients.
• Governance arrangements were embedded within the practice.