We carried out this announced inspection on 9 June 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

Uppingham Dental Practice is in Uppingham, a market town in the county of Rutland. It provides private treatment to patients of all ages and NHS treatment to children only.

There is a step at the front entrance of the building. Measures have been taken to enable people who use wheelchairs and pushchairs access to the practice if required. There is free but limited car parking at the front of the premises. There is also a coned area for parking for disabled patients. On street parking is also available in close proximity to the practice.

The dental team includes three dentists, six dental nurses, two dental nurse trainees and one dental hygienist. The dental nurses also share receptionist duties. The practice also employs a practice manager. The staff work between two practices owned by the provider. The practice we inspected has two treatment rooms, both on the ground floor.

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 Uppingham Dental Practice was the practice manager.

On the day of inspection we collected 48 CQC comment cards filled in by patients. This information gave us a positive view of the practice.

During the inspection we spoke with one dentist, one nurse, one trainee dental nurse, the hygienist 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, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 8.30am to 5pm. On Wednesday, the practice is open from 8.30am to 7pm.

Our key findings were:

• The practice ethos included the provision of high quality care including consultations, X-rays and dental treatments (including surgical) to improve the dental health of patients under their care.
• Effective leadership from practice management was evident.
• Staff had been trained to deal with emergencies and appropriate medicines and life saving equipment was readily available in accordance with current guidelines.
• The practice appeared clean and well maintained.
• The practice had infection control procedures which reflected current published guidance.
• The practice had effective processes in place and staff knew their responsibilities for safeguarding adults and children living in vulnerable circumstances.
• The practice had adopted a process for the reporting and shared learning when untoward incidents occurred in the practice.
• Clinical staff provided dental care in accordance with current professional and National Institute for Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines.
• The practice were aware of the needs of the local population and took these into account when delivering the service.
• Patients had access to treatment and urgent and emergency care when required.
• Staff received training appropriate to their roles and were supported in their continued professional development (CPD) by the practice.
• Staff we spoke with felt supported by the provider and were committed to providing a quality service to their patients.

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

• Review the practice’s protocols for the use of rubber dam for root canal treatment taking into account guidelines issued by the British Endodontic Society.

One patient who used the service commented that staff were, "I am very happy with the service, I left for a while but came back, I cannot find anywhere to match it." Another person we spoke with commented, "I feel fine, I wouldn't come otherwise because I'm petrified but I know they will look after me."

The patients who used the service told us they were satisfied with the quality of service they received. Patients said they were asked about their medical history and about any dental problems. One patient told us "I have been coming here for a long while, they always ask me to tell them if I have any ongoing medical problems." Another person told us "I have been coming here for years they are fabulous, I have no complaints at all. "

We found the practice to be compliant with the regulations we inspected against.