We carried out this announced inspection on 12 June 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

Somercotes Family Dental Centre is located in north Derbyshire and provides mainly NHS dental treatment to both adults and children.

There is level access into the practice through the side entrance. This is of benefit for people who use wheelchairs and those with pushchairs. There is roadside parking in the area around the practice.

The dental team includes six dentists, one oral surgeon, four qualified dental nurses, four trainee dental nurses, two receptionists and one practice manager. The practice has seven treatment rooms, one of which is located on the ground floor.

The practice is owned by a company and as a condition of registration must have a person registered with the Care Quality Commission as the registered manager. Registered managers 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 registered manager at Somercotes Family Dental Centre is the principal dentist.

On the day of inspection, we received feedback from 23 patients.

During the inspection we spoke with three dentists, two dental nurses, 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: Monday to Friday: 9am to 6pm. The practice is closed on Saturday and Sunday.

Our key findings were:

• The practice appeared clean and well maintained.
• The practice staff 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 staff 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 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.

We spoke with three patients who had come for appointments at Somercotes Family Dental Centre. They were all NHS patients and were very happy with the treatment they had received. All of the patients told us they had been given the opportunity to ask questions about their treatment. One patient told us “I’ve been coming here for a number of years and I’m very happy, the staff are always helpful.”

Patients’ records were held electronically and could be accessed in all of the surgeries in the practice. We found that patients’ needs were assessed and that they were asked to complete a medical history questionnaire before being seen in the surgery. This information was captured on the electronic records and then reviewed with the patients at subsequent visits.

The three patients we spoke with advised us that they had never needed to make a complaint about their care. They told us that should they have any concerns, they would feel happy to discuss these with their dentist or other staff in the practice. We saw that informal concerns raised by patients were acted on quickly and appropriately.