We carried out this announced inspection on 7 February 2019 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 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

Tracey Bell Mount Street is near the centre of Liverpool and provides private dental care for adults.

The practice is accessed by a flight of stairs. Car parking is available outside the practice.

The dental team includes two dentists, a dental hygienist, and a dental nurse. The dental team is supported by an operations assistant. The practice has one treatment room.

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 Tracey Bell Mount Street is the one of principal dentists.

We received feedback from four people during the inspection about the services provided. The feedback provided was positive.

During the inspection we spoke to a principal dentist and the operations assistant. We looked at practice policies and procedures and other records about how the service is managed.

The practice is open:

Tuesday to Saturday 9.00am to 6.00pm.

Our key findings were:

• The practice was clean and well maintained.
• The practice had infection control procedures in place which took account of published guidance.
• The provider had safeguarding procedures in place and staff knew their responsibilities for safeguarding adults and children.
• Staff knew how to deal with medical emergencies. Appropriate medicines and equipment were available.
• The provider had staff recruitment procedures in place. Not all the required information was available for staff working in the practice.
• Staff provided patients’ care and treatment in line with current guidelines.
• The dental team provided preventive care and supported patients to achieve better oral health.
• Staff treated patients with dignity and respect and took care to protect their privacy and personal information.
• The appointment system took account of patients’ needs.
• The provider had a procedure in place for dealing with complaints. The practice dealt with complaints efficiently.
• The practice had a leadership and management structure and a culture of continuous improvement.
• The provider had some systems in place to identify risk. Not all reasonably practicable measures were in place to reduce risk.
• Staff felt involved and supported and worked well as a team.
• The practice asked patients and staff for feedback about the services they provided.

There were areas where the provider could make improvements. They should:

• Review the practice’s systems for assessing, monitoring and mitigating the various risks arising from the undertaking of the regulated activities. In particular, review the risks associated with the accessibility of the stairs in the treatment room, the risks associated with staff working in a clinical environment where their immunity status is unknown, and where a Disclosure and Barring Service check has not been carried out.
• Review the practice's protocols and procedures to ensure staff are up to date with their recommended training and their continuing professional development.