We carried out this announced inspection on 1 June 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

Simply Dental is in the London Borough of Richmond Upon Thames and provides private treatment to patients of all ages.

There is level access for people who use wheelchairs and those with pushchairs. Car parking spaces are available near the practice.

The dental team includes one dentist, two dental nurses, one dental hygienist, two receptionists and one practice manager. The practice has three 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 55 CQC comment cards filled in by patients, this information gave us a positive view of the practice.

During the inspection we spoke with one dentist, one dental nurse, one 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:

Hours:

• Monday, Tuesday and Friday: 9am to 7pm
• Wednesday – Thursday: 9am to 6pm
• Saturday – Sunday: 9am to 3pm

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.
• 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.

The people who we met told us that they had the care and treatment they needed at Simply Dental. They said that the dentist treated them with respect and gave them the information they needed to make choices about their treatment. They said that the staff were always available to answer questions and help them to understand about the treatment they were going to receive. One person told us, ‘’they are brilliant, my experience has been 100% positive’’. Another person said, ‘’I have felt hardly any pain even though I have had extensive dental work’’. They told us that they felt the practice had a personal touch and that they felt that they had received ‘’constant reassurances’’.

Dr Mukesh Soni shares the building, some of the facilities, the receptionist and the part time hygienists with another registered dentist.