We carried out this announced inspection on 3 November 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 that we were inspecting the practice. We did not receive any information of concern from them.

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

Shevington Dental Practice is in Wigan and provides NHS and private treatment to adults and children.

The practice is located on the first floor above a post office; access is gained via a staircase at the side of the premises. The service is not accessible for people who use wheelchairs or pushchairs. On street parking is available near the practice.

The dental team includes two dentists, five dental nurses (two of whom manage the practice), and a receptionist. The practice has two 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 44 CQC comment cards filled in by patients. Patients were positive about all aspects of the service the practice provided.

During the inspection we spoke with the principal dentist, three dental nurses, the head receptionist 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 to Thursday 08:30 to 12:30 and 14:00 to 17:00

Friday 08:30 to 12:30 and 14:00 to 16:30

Our key findings were:

• The premises were clean and well maintained.
• The practice had infection control procedures which reflected published guidance.
• Staff knew how to deal with emergencies. Minor improvements could be made to the life-saving equipment 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 and proactively signposted to other local services.
• 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.

We identified areas of notable practice.

The practice were proactive in engaging with outside organisations and the local community. For example:

• The practice had partnered with a local cancer care centre to provide dental care to local people newly diagnosed with cancer who did not have a dentist.
• Patient’s comments confirmed that the dentists were very informative and gave them information to improve their oral health. The practice had achieved level two on the Wigan Healthy Living Dentistry (HLD) Programme. The HLD Programme supports dental practices across Wigan borough to provide general health advice to patients, preventing the development of long term health conditions.
• The practice were part of a local bid to provide patients with online 360° virtual tours of 10 care providers to help familiarise people with dementia or autism to the services, staff and premises.
• A member of staff had received training in British Sign Language to meet the needs of patients.

There were areas where the provider could make improvements and should:

• Review its responsibilities to the needs of people with a disability and the requirements of the equality Act 2010 and ensure a Disability Discrimination Act audit is undertaken for the premises.