We carried out this announced inspection on 18 October 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.

We told the NHS England area team that we were inspecting the practice. They did not provide any information.

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

The Benfleet Dental Clinic is in Benfleet and provides NHS and private treatment to patients of all ages.

There is concrete ramp access for people who use wheelchairs and pushchairs. Car parking spaces for patients including for those with disabled badges are available at the front and rear of the practice.

The dental team consists of ten dentists including two foundation dentists, 12 dental nurses including two trainee dental nurses, six trainee dental hygienists, seven receptionists and the practice manager (who is a qualified dental nurse).Staff work across both The Benfleet Dental Clinic and the sister practice. The Benfleet Dental Clinic has five treatment rooms.

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.

On the day of inspection we collected 40 CQC comment cards filled in by patients. This information gave us a wholly positive view of the practice.

During the inspection we spoke with three dentists including the provider/owner, one associate dentist and one foundation dentist, three dental nurses including one trainee dental nurse, one receptionist 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; 9am to 1pm and 2pm to 8pm.

Tuesday; 9am to 1pm and 2pm to 8pm.

Wednesday; 9am to 1pm and 2pm to 8 pm.

Thursday; 8am to 8pm.

Friday 8am to 2pm.

Our key findings were:

• Strong and effective leadership was provided by the principal dentist and an empowered practice manager. Staff felt involved and supported and worked well as a team.
• The practice was visibly clean and well maintained.
• The practice had well organised systems to assess and manage infection prevention and control which reflected published guidance.
• Staff knew how to deal with emergencies. Appropriate medicines and life-saving equipment were available with the exception of some items that had passed their expiry date or were missing at the time of the inspection.
• The practice had systems to help them manage risk. The practice had an established process for reporting and recording significant events and accidents to ensure they investigated these and took remedial action.
• 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 asked staff and patients for feedback about the services they provided. Patients were wholly positive and happy with the quality of their treatment and the staff who delivered it.
• The practice dealt with complaints positively and efficiently. This included a review of all verbal complaints and comments.
• The appointment system met patients’ needs. Patients could access treatment and urgent care when required.
• Staff had received training appropriate to their roles and were supported in their continued professional development by the principal dentist and practice manager.
• Through the training and educational programmes provided for students, dentists, hygienists’ and staff, the practice were providing a proactive educational environment.

We spoke with three people who were using the service at the time of our inspection. All three said they were very happy with the practice. One patient said they used to be very nervous about going to the dentist but they had been made to feel very comfortable at this practice. Another patient described the practice as “excellent” and said that the hygienist was particularly good. The third patient we spoke with was a child who was accompanied by their parent. They said that they liked the dentist and were treated well at the practice.

All three people said they were involved in decisions about their care, given clear information about the treatment options available to them and gave consent accordingly. All treatment prices were fully explained. They said that the dentist checked their medical histories at each visit. They said they would recommend the practice to others.

We also looked at patient satisfaction survey results, which revealed a high rate of satisfaction with the care people received at The Benfleet Dental Clinic. We observed excellent customer service taking place, with staff treating people with respect and warmth.