We carried out this announced inspection on 25 July 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 and Healthwatch 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

Trinity House Dental Practice is in Yeovil, Somerset and provides mainly private treatment to patients of all ages with a small NHS contract for children and exempt patients.

There is access for patients who use wheelchairs within one treatment room. There were no patient car parking spaces. However there was a short stay car park opposite the practice and public transport was easily available.

The dental team includes one dentist, two dental nurses, two dental hygienists and a receptionist. The practice has two 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 spoke with four patients. This information gave us a positive view of the practice.

During the inspection we spoke with the dentist, a dental nurse, a dental hygienist, a 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 5pm
• Tuesday 9am to 6:30pm
• Wednesday 8:30am to 5pm and every other week 8:30am to 1pm
• Thursday 8:30 to 5pm
• Friday is closed for treatment and has reception cover from 9am to 1pm
• Saturday 9am to 1pm once a month

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 practice had suitable safeguarding processes and staff knew their responsibilities for safeguarding adults and children.
• The practice had staff recruitment procedures. These had been improved upon since our inspection.
• 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 the protocol for completing accurate, complete and detailed records relating to employment of staff. This includes making appropriate records of gaps of employment and why employment ended and ensuring recruitment checks, including references and Disclosure and Barring Service checks, are suitably obtained and recorded.