We carried out this announced inspection on 4 July 2018 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

Village Dental Practice is in Kinver and provides orthodontic treatment to adults and children. Orthodontics is a specialist dental service concerned with the alignment of the teeth and jaws to improve the appearance of the face, the teeth and their function. Orthodontic treatment is provided under NHS referral for children except when the problem falls below the accepted eligibility criteria for NHS treatment. Private treatment is available for these patients as well as adults who require orthodontic treatment.

There are two services provided by two different providers at this location. This report only relates to the provision of orthodontic care provided by Dr Preshaan Sitlu. An additional report is available in respect of the general dental services contract which is registered under the provider Dr Navdeep Sunner.

There is level access for people who use wheelchairs and those with pushchairs. Car parking spaces, including spaces for blue badge holders, are available near the practice.

The dental team includes an orthodontist, two dentists, a visiting implantologist, one dental hygienist, three dental nurses (one of whom also works on reception), one receptionist and a practice manager. The practice has two treatment rooms.

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 Village Dental Practice is Dr Preshaan Sitlu.

On the day of inspection we collected 22 CQC comment cards filled in by patients.

During the inspection we spoke with the orthodontist, the principal dentist, three dental nurses (one of whom also works on reception), the dental 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 to Friday 8.30am to 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. Recent improvements to the practice included new flooring and general redecorating. One of the treatment rooms, the decontamination room and the reception area had also been refurbished.
• The provider 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 to patients and staff. At the time of our inspection the practice did not have a detailed sharps risk assessment or lone workers risk assessment. These were sent to us following the inspection.
• The practice staff had suitable safeguarding processes and staff knew their responsibilities for safeguarding vulnerable adults and children.
• The provider had thorough staff recruitment procedures.
• 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 provider was providing preventive care and supporting patients to ensure better oral health.
• The appointment system met patients’ needs. Patients could access treatment and emergency care when required.
• The practice asked staff and patients for feedback about the services they provided. Results from feedback were analysed and displayed in the waiting room.
• The provider dealt with complaints positively and efficiently.
• The provider had suitable information governance arrangements.

Our visit was discussed and arranged with the practice two days in advance. This was to ensure that we had time to see and speak with staff working at the practice, as well as people registered with the practice. During the inspection we spoke with one dentist, three dental nurses, the practice manager and the owner of the practice. The owner of the practice also worked as a dentist at the practice.

At our visit we spoke with one person who was at the surgery for an appointment. After our inspection visit, we spoke by telephone with two people who were registered with the practice to ask them about their experiences of the service. People that used the practice told us that they were happy with the quality of treatment they received.

We found that people had the information they needed to help them make informed choices about their treatment. One person told us, "The dentist always explains what they are going to do”.

People told us that the practice was clean and tidy and that they had no concerns about hygiene. We found that the provider had effective infection control procedures in place.

Staff received a range of training so that they had up to date knowledge and skills to treat people that used the dental practice safely.

We found that people who used the service were asked their views about the service so the provider could use the information to improve.