We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 15 February 2016 to ask the practice the following key questions; Are services safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led?

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

Tamworth Dental Practice Partnership is a mixed dental practice providing NHS and private treatment for both adults and children. The practice is situated in a converted residential property. The practice had five dental treatment rooms and a separate decontamination room for cleaning, sterilising and packing dental instruments. Dental care was provided on two floors and had a reception and waiting area on the ground floor.

The practice was open 8.00am – 8.00pm Monday to Friday and Saturday 8.00am to 3.00pm. The practice has five dentists who are supported by six dental nurses, two receptionists and a practice manager and two area managers.

The practice manager is the registered manager. A registered manager is a person who is registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. 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 registered manager was supported in their role by two area managers.

Before the inspection we sent Care Quality Commission comment cards to the practice for patients to complete to tell us about their experience of the practice. We received feedback from 14 patients. These provided a positive view of the services the practice provides. Patients commented on the high quality of care provided by the dentists, the friendly nature of all staff and the cleanliness of the practice.

Our key findings were:

• Staff had been trained to handle emergencies, appropriate medicines and life-saving equipment was readily available in accordance with current guidelines.
• The practice appeared clean and well maintained.
• Infection control procedures were robust and the practice followed published guidance.
• The practice had a safeguarding lead with effective processes in place for safeguarding adults and children living in vulnerable circumstances.
• Staff reported incidents and kept records of these which the practice used for shared learning.
• Dentists provided dental care in accordance with current professional and National Institute for Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines
• The service was aware of the needs of the local population and took these into account in how the practice was run.
• Patients could access treatment as well as urgent and emergency care when required.
• Staff recruitment files contained essential information in relation to Regulation 18, Schedule 3 of Health & Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2015.
• Staff had received training appropriate to their roles and were supported in their continued professional development (CPD) by the practice manager.
• Staff we spoke to felt supported by the practice manager and were committed to providing a quality service to their patients.
• Information from 14 completed Care Quality Commission (CQC) comment cards gave us a positive picture of a friendly and professional service.
• The practice manager provided effective leadership for staff working at the practice
• The practice reviewed and dealt with complaints according to their practice policy

There were areas where the provider could make improvements and should:

• Review the recommendations made by Radiation Protection Adviser with respect to the use of a rectangular collimator for each of the five intra-oral X-ray machines.
• Make sure that risks in relation to fire safety are fully identified and mitigated.