We carried out this announced inspection on 29 August 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

Sterling Dental Referral Centre is in London Borough of Ealing and provides NHS and private treatment to patients of all ages.

There is level access for people who use wheelchairs and those with pushchairs. Car parking spaces are available for patients.

The dental team includes three dentists, five dental nurses and one 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 Sterling Dental Referral Centre was the clinical director.

On the day of inspection we collected 13 CQC comment cards filled in by patients. This information gave us a positive view of the practice.

During the inspection, we spoke with one dentist, two dental nurses and two practice managers. We looked at practice policies and procedures and other records about how the service was managed.

The practice is open:

• Monday-Friday: 9:00am to 6:00pm

Our key findings were:

• The practice was clean and well maintained.
• The practice had infection control procedures that 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, 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.

We identified areas of notable practice:

The provider proactively engaged with the local community in a variety of ways to improve oral health for various population groups, for example:

• Running a Mini Molar Club for children under the age of 11. The activities included, visiting local school assembly's and providing access to online video games and videos. The club also gave joining members a free goodie bag which includes; membership cards, games and puzzles.
• Partnering with various local and national initiatives to raise oral health awareness, for example, the East African Senior Citizens Association, the Mael Gael and Sunrise Radio.

Patients said clear explanations of the various treatment options and costs were explained to them by the dentist and that they were able to ask questions to clarify anything that was not clear. Patients said they felt safe when they were receiving their treatment. Patients told us the practice was clean and hygienic. All patients we spoke with told us that they were happy with the service they received. 100% of patients who completed a patient feedback survey in November 2011 said they would recommend the service to their friends.