We carried out this announced inspection on 2 August 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

Southwood Dental Centre is in Farnborough and provides NHS treatment to patients of all ages.

There is level access for people who use wheelchairs and those with pushchairs. Car parking spaces, including three for blue badge holders, are available near the practice.

The dental team includes three dentists, one specialist orthodontist, three dental nurses, two trainee dental nurses, three dental hygienists, one decontamination assistant, two receptionists and a practice manager.

The practice has two treatment rooms.

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 Southwood Dental Centre is the principal dentist.

On the day of inspection we collected 10 CQC comment cards filled in by patients and gathered the views of a further eight patients.

During the inspection we spoke with two dentists, two dental nurses 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 and Thursday from 8.30am to 8pm, Tuesday from 8.30 to 6.30pm, Wednesday from 8am to 8pm, Friday 8.30 to 4.30pm and Saturday 8.30am to 3.30pm. The practice closes for lunch for 30 minutes each day.

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 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.
• 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 sharps procedures to ensure the practice is compliant with the Health and Safety (Sharp Instruments in Healthcare) Regulations 2013.
• Review the fire safety risk assessment and ensure that any actions required are complete and ongoing fire safety management is effective.
• Review the practice's current performance review systems and have an effective process established for the on-going assessment and supervision of all staff.