We carried out this announced inspection of Tavern St Dental Practice 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

Tavern St Dental Practice is a well-established practice based in Stowmarket that provides both NHS and private treatment to patients of all ages. The dental team includes two dentists, four hygienists, seven dental nurses, and a receptionist who serve about 5,500 patients. The practice has four treatment rooms and is open on Mondays to Thursdays from 9am to 5.30pm and on Fridays from 8.30am to 4.30pm. The practice also opens one Saturday a month from 9am to 1pm

There is access for people with wheelchairs and a fully enabled toilet facility.

The practice 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. One of the partners of the practice is the registered manager.

On the day of our inspection, we collected 25 comment cards filled in by patients and spoke with four other patients. This information gave us a very positive view of the practice.

During the inspection we spoke with the principal dentist, two dental nurses, a hygienist and the receptionist. We looked at the practice’s policies and procedures, and other records about how the service was managed.

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 protecting adults and children.
• 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.
• 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 and should:

• Review the process for reporting, recording and monitoring untoward events.

• Review the practice’s arrangements for receiving and responding to patient safety alerts, recalls and rapid response reports issued from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and through the Central Alerting System (CAS), as well as from other relevant bodies such as, Public Health England (PHE).