We carried out this announced inspection on 25 January 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

Stag Lane Dental Centre is located in the London Borough of Brent and provides NHS and private treatment to patients of all ages.

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

Practice staffing consists of a principal dentist, two dentists, two hygienists, one dental nurse and a practice manager/trainee dental nurse.

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.

The practice is open Monday to Thursday 8.30am to 5.30pm and Friday 8.30am to 12.30pm

The practice facilities include two treatment rooms, a decontamination room, X-ray room, reception/ waiting area staff room and kitchen.

On the day of inspection we collected feedback from 26 patients. This information gave us a positive view of the practice.

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

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.

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

• Review staff training to ensure that staff who are assisting in conscious sedation have the appropriate training and skills to carry out the role taking into account guidelines published by The Intercollegiate Advisory Committee on Sedation in Dentistry in the document 'Standards for Conscious Sedation in the Provision of Dental Care 2015.

We spoke to four patients. They were positive about the staff and the treatment they received. They told us they were given information about the treatment that they needed and this included how much it was going to cost them.

Patients told us "they do really well, I always have information about my treatment and the cost before treatment begins" and "I have finally found a dentist I am happy with" and "I must have been coming here for over fifty years and I wouldn't use the dentist if I wasn't satisfied."

Other comments made by patients spoken with include, "They know what they are doing" and "my fears of dentists have now gone away".

We saw that policies and procedures were in place to ensure the safety and wellbeing of patients. There were regular checks of the equipment in use and of medication that might be needed in the event of an emergency.