We carried out this announced inspection on 19 December 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.

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 Willows Dental Practice is located in Hereford city centre. There are two services provided by two different providers at this location. This report only relates to the provision of private dental care. An additional report is available in respect of the NHS contract which is registered under the provider Dr Jai Bir Singh Arhi.

The practice is situated on the first and second floors of the building which has an assistance bell and a stair lift from the ground floor to support access for patients with limited mobility. The first floor of the practice consists of a reception area, a waiting room, a patient toilet, a staff toilet and three dental treatment rooms. On the second floor there is a staff room / kitchen and a decontamination room for the cleaning, sterilising and packing of dental instruments. Car parking spaces, including some for patients with blue badges, are available in pay and display car parks near the practice.

The dental team includes three dentists, six dental nurses, one dental hygienist, one receptionist and a practice manager. The current principal dentist took over practice ownership approximately two years ago.

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 21 CQC comment cards filled in by patients and looked at patient satisfaction survey results. This information gave us a positive view of the practice.

During the inspection we spoke with the principal dentist, two dental nurses, the dental hygienist, 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: 8.30am – 5pm

Tuesday: 8.30am – 5pm

Wednesday: 8.30am – 7pm

Thursday: 8.30am – 5pm

Friday: 8.30am – 5pm

Our key findings were:

• Effective leadership was provided by the principal dentist and an empowered practice manager. Staff we spoke with felt involved and supported by the principal dentist and practice manager and were committed to providing a quality service to their patients.
• The practice appeared clean and well maintained. The principal dentist showed us a refurbishment plan that was in the process of being implemented.
• The practice had infection control procedures which reflected published guidance.
• Staff had been trained to handle emergencies and appropriate medicines and life-saving equipment was readily available in accordance with current guidelines.
• The practice had systems to help them manage risk. There was a process in place for the reporting and shared learning when untoward incidents occurred in the practice.
• The practice had suitable safeguarding processes and staff knew their responsibilities for safeguarding adults and children.
• The practice had thorough staff recruitment procedures.
• The dentists provided dental care in accordance with current professional and National Institute for Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines. New updates were shared with staff at practice meetings.
• Staff treated patients with dignity and respect and took care to protect their privacy and personal information.
• The appointment system met patients’ needs. Patients could access treatment and urgent and emergency care when required.
• The practice asked staff and patients for feedback about the services they provided. Information from 21 completed Care Quality Commission (CQC) comment cards gave us a positive picture of a friendly, professional and high quality service.
• The practice dealt with complaints positively and efficiently.