We carried out this announced inspection on 2 March 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 Priory Dental Practice is in Walsall and provides NHS and private treatment to patients of all ages. The practice also offers orthodontic treatment.

The practice has a portable ramp to ensure that there is level access for people who use wheelchairs and pushchairs. Car parking spaces, including some spaces for patients with disabled badges, are available near the practice.

The dental team includes four dentists, one practice manager, seven dental nurses, two dental hygienists and one orthodontic therapist. The practice has four 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 The Priory Dental Practice was the principal dentist.

On the day of inspection we collected 11 CQC comment cards filled in by patients and spoke with three other patients. This information gave us a positive view of the practice.

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

The practice is open:

Monday: 9am - 7pm

Tuesday: 9am – 5pm

Wednesday: 9am – 5pm

Thursday: 9am – 7pm

Friday: 9am – 4:45pm

Saturday: 9am – 1pm

Our key findings were:

• The practice was 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 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 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. They should:

• Review clinical staff’s immunisation records to ensure that they have responded adequately to a course of immunisation.
• Review the practice’s system for the recording, investigating and reviewing incidents or significant events with a view to preventing further occurrences and, ensuring that improvements are made as a result.

We carried out this inspection to check on the care and welfare of people using this service. Our visit was discussed and arranged two days in advance. This was to ensure that we had time to see and speak to staff working at the practice, as well as people registered with the service.

Treatment could be arranged at a convenient time, and people told us they did not experience any lengthy delays. People could consider their treatment options and any costs involved and did not have to make a decision immediately.

Everyone we spoke with told us they were happy with the service and would recommend the practice to family and friends.

There were effective systems in place to reduce the risk and spread of infection. People we spoke with said everything always looked clean and they were satisfied with the standards of cleanliness. We saw there were good standards of hygiene and infection control practices in place.

The staff worked together well as team and managed to discuss any issues that may have been raised during the working day. They said that they felt they were supported by the dentist and accessed training as they needed to, to ensure their skills and knowledge was up to date.