We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 10 September 2015 to ask the practice the following key questions; Are services safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led?

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

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 10 September 2015 at Tutbury Dental Practice.

Dental services have been provided from the location since 1971, although in recent years the practice has evolved from a single handed practice to one with six dental treatment rooms offering a wide range of general and cosmetic dentistry.

The practice provides dental care and treatment to registered patients Monday to Friday 8:30am to 5:30pm. At the time of the inspection the practice had around 5,000 patients as part of a private dental treatment plan and a smaller proportion of patients who were NHS funded. The practice has seven dentists working a variety of clinical sessions over a week. A dental therapist, two dental hygienists and seven qualified dental nurses complete the clinical team. The practice manager is a qualified dental nurse and works with the principal dentist and other staff in leadership roles to oversee the day to day running of the practice. There are also two trainee dental nurses employed, both undergoing recognised training leading to professional registration. A treatment coordinator and cleaner assist in maintaining the day to day running of the practice.

Eighteen patients provided feedback about the practice. All the feedback we received from patients was positive, including access to appointments, their care and treatment and all made complimentary remarks about their overall experience of the practice.

Our key findings were:

• Patients told us that their care and treatment was explained and they felt involved in decisions about their treatment.
• The appointments system met the needs of patients.
• The individual needs of patients groups had been considered when planning services. For example, the practice had regular days for children’s appointments. Staff provided fun activities and dressed down to provide a positive experience.
• The practice had effective infection control procedures.
• Patients received clear explanations and written information about their proposed treatment, costs, benefits and risks and were involved in making decisions about them.
• The practice sought feedback from staff and patients about the services they provided.

There were areas where the provider could make improvements and should:

• Adapt the practice significant event policy to include the nature of incidents that should be reported and formalise the sharing of learning from them.
• Establish if all staff have undertaken training in safeguarding children as suggested in the intercollegiate guidance by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health on safeguarding children and young people (March 2014).

We carried out this review to check on the care and welfare of people using this service. We also looked at the cleanliness of the service and the infection control systems that were in place.

We talked to people on the telephone before and after our visit about the service they received. We spoke with a total of five people who told us they were happy with the service and two people told us they had used the service for a number of years and had not needed to raise any concerns. One person told us they continued to use the service even when they moved away from the area. The staff confirmed they had a large number of people who had used the service for a long period of time and felt this was a good reflection on the standard of service they provided.

People we spoke with knew how to complain but had never had cause to do so. People spoke positively about the service and comments included; “I’m very happy here and couldn’t think of going anywhere else.” “I couldn’t wish, for better treatment, nothing is too much trouble. The staff are always lovely, and they reassure me and let me know what they are doing.”

We saw all areas of the dental practice were clean and there were good standards of hygiene and infection control practices in place. People we spoke with said everything always looked clean and they were satisfied with the standards of cleanliness. They told us they saw staff washing their hands, using disposable gloves and opening new equipment before their treatment. People said they were provided with glasses to protect their eyes and aprons during any treatment.