We carried out this announced inspection on 8 May 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

The Smiles By Hillside in Finchley, London provides private dental treatment to patients of all ages.

Practice staffing consists of the principal dentist, four associate dentist, one hygienist, 2 dental nurses and one receptionist

The principal dentist is registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) as an individual. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons 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 practice is open Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Fridays 9am to 5.30pm, Thursdays 10am to 5.30pm and Saturday 9am to 1pm by appointment only

The practice facilities include four treatment rooms, a decontamination room, reception/waiting area, office, X-ray room and staff room

On the day of inspection we collected 16 CQC comment cards filled in by patients. This information gave us a positive view of the practice. Patients told us that they were happy with the treatment and advice they had received.

During the inspection we spoke with the principal dentist, one associate dentist, two dental nurses, receptionist and the compliance manager. We looked at practice policies and procedures and other records about how the service is managed.

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. 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 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 practice had thorough staff recruitment procedures. However improvements could be made

We spoke with a patient on the day of our visit and reviewed feedback provided by patients through completed satisfaction survey forms. The patient told us that treatment was explained to them in a way they understood and they were clear, in advance, about the fees they would have to pay.

Staff received appropriate training to enable them to provide the support to people that they needed. They demonstrated the knowledge and skills needed to protect people from possible abuse. The provider regularly monitored the service to make sure that an appropriate standard of care and support was provided to people who use the service.