We carried out this announced inspection on 10 and 17 July 2018 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

Slough Dental Hygiene is in Slough and provides private hygienist treatment to patients of all ages.

There is level access in to the building for people who use wheelchairs and those with pushchairs. The practice is based on the first floor which is accessible by lift.

Car parking spaces, including one for blue badge holders, are available outside the practice.

The practice rents a treatment room and a decontamination room from another health care provider and has use of some parts of the common areas in the building. This health care provider is referred to as the landlord in this report

The dental team includes a dental hygienist and a newly qualified dental nurse. The practice has one treatment room.

The practice is owned by an individual who is the hygienist 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.

We collected two CQC comment cards filled in by patients.

On the day of inspection, the practice was closed which meant we did not speak to any patients.

During the inspection we spoke with the hygienist. We looked at practice policies and procedures and other records about how the service is managed.

The practice is open Tuesday and Wednesday from 10am to 5pm.

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.
• 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.
• 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 practice was providing preventive care and supporting patients to ensure better oral health.
• The appointment system met patients’ needs.
• The practice had effective leadership and culture of continuous improvement.
• 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 practice had suitable information governance arrangements.

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

• Review the practice's current performance review systems and have an effective process established for the on-going supervision and appraisal of all staff.
• Review the practice's protocols for completion of dental care records considering the guidance provided by the Faculty of General Dental Practice.