We carried out this announced inspection on 13 December 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

Southwick Green Dental and Implant Centre is in Southwick, West Sussex and provides NHS and private treatment to adults and children.

There is access via a ramp for people who use wheelchairs and those with pushchairs. Parking spaces, including those for blue badge holders are available near to the practice.

The dental team includes the principal dentist, three associate dentists, four dental nurses, one trainee dental nurse, two receptionists and a practice manager. The practice has three 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 Southwick Green Dental was the principal dentist.

On the day of inspection, we collected 40 CQC comment cards filled in by patients and spoke with a further five patients.

During the inspection we spoke with the three dentists, three dental nurses, one trainee dental nurse, two receptionists 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 to Thursday from 8am to 5.30pm
• Friday from 9am to 5.30pm

Our key findings were:

• The practice appeared 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 provider 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.
• Staff were providing preventive care and supporting patients to ensure better oral health.
• The appointment system took account of patients’ needs.
• The practice had effective leadership and a culture of continuous improvement.
• 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 staff dealt with complaints positively and efficiently.
• The practice staff had suitable information governance arrangements.

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 care provided by their dentist. One person said they had recently been in a lot of pain and the dentist managed to see them very quickly. Another person was attending the practice with their elderly parent, and they told us that their parent received excellent care from the dentist and that staff were “so friendly and lovely”, “very patient” and that their parent “really appreciates the service”.

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 history 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 Green. We observed excellent customer service, with staff treating people with respect and warmth.