We carried out this announced inspection on 26 February 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.

We told the NHS England area team and Healthwatch that we were inspecting the practice. They did not provide any information of concern.

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

Wakefield Road Dental Surgery is in Bradford and provides NHS and private treatment to adults and children.

There is level access for people who use wheelchairs and pushchairs. Car parking spaces are available near the practice.

The dental team includes seven dentists, six dental nurses, a decontamination assistant and four receptionists (some of whom also have managerial duties). The practice has six treatment rooms.

The practice is owned by an individual who is one of the principal dentists 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 we collected 32 CQC comment cards filled in by patients. This information gave us a positive view of the practice.

During the inspection we spoke with three dentists, two dental nurses, the decontamination assistant and one receptionist. We looked at practice policies and procedures and other records about how the service is managed.

The practice is open:

Monday to Thursday from 8:30am to 5:00pm

Friday 8:30am to 1:00pm

Our key findings were:

• The practice was clean and well maintained.
• The practice had infection control procedures which generally reflected published guidance. Improvements could be made to the process for identifying wrapped instruments which need re-processing.
• Staff knew how to deal with emergencies. Appropriate medical emergency medicines and equipment were available with the exception of an adult sized mask for the self-inflating bag and needles to administer adrenaline. These were sourced and ordered on the day of inspection.
• The practice had some systems to help them manage risk. Improvements could be made to the process for managing risks associated with fire and Legionella.
• The practice had suitable safeguarding processes and staff knew their responsibilities for safeguarding adults and children.
• Minor improvements could be made to the staff recruitment process.
• 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 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 and should:

• Review the security of prescription pads in the practice and ensure there are systems in place to monitor and track their use.
• Review the practice’s infection control procedures and protocols giving due regard to guidelines issued by the Department of Health - Health Technical Memorandum 01-05: Decontamination in primary care dental practices and The Health and Social Care Act 2008: ‘Code of Practice about the prevention and control of infections and related guidance.
• Review the current fire risk assessment and carry out regular checks on the smoke alarms, emergency lighting and firefighting equipment.
• Review the practice's recruitment policy and procedures to ensure character references for new staff are requested and recorded suitably.

We spoke with five people who used the service and they told us they were happy with the treatment they received at the Wakefield Road Dental Surgery. One person told us "They are good at what they do here." whilst another said "the dentist always explains what he is going to do."

They also told us "The staff are friendly and polite" and "I've been coming here for a long time and they keep me up to date and well informed."