We carried out this announced inspection on 23 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.

We told the NHS England area team and Healthwatch that we were inspecting the practice. They did not provide any information of concern.

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

School Road Dental Surgery is in Sheffield and provides NHS and private treatment to adults and children.

There is portable ramp access to the practice for people who use wheelchairs. Car parking spaces are available near the practice.

The dental team includes six dentists, 10 dental nurses (two of whom have practice management roles and one is a trainee dental nurse), one dental hygienist, three dental hygiene therapists, two receptionists and an accounts manager. The practice has five treatment rooms.

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 42 CQC comment cards filled in by patients. This information gave us a positive view of the practice.

During the inspection we spoke with three dentists, two dental nurses, one dental hygiene therapist, two receptionists 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 – Thursday 08:30am – 5:30pm

Friday – 08:30am – 1:00pm (one Friday per month - open until 5:30pm)

Our key findings were:

• The practice was 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. We were unable to identify the level of training undertaken by some staff.
• The practice had staff recruitment procedures; an area for improvement was identified in relation to obtaining staff recruitment information.
• 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.

There were areas where the provider could make improvements. They should:

• Review the security of prescription pads in the practice and ensure there are systems in place to track and monitor their use.
• Review practice's recruitment procedures to ensure that appropriate checks are completed and retained prior to new staff commencing employment at the practice.
• Review staff training to ensure staff have undergone relevant training, to an appropriate level, in safeguarding of children and vulnerable adults.
• Review the practice’s process of transporting dental instruments around the practice.