We carried out this announced inspection on 2 August 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 Care Quality Commission (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

Walworth Dental Centre is in Walworth, in the London Borough of Southwark. It provides NHS and private treatment to patients of all ages.

The practice is based on the lower ground, mezzanine, first and second floors of a converted building. There is restricted parking available near the practice.

The dental team includes five dentists, a practice manager, two dental nurses, three trainee dental nurses, a dental hygienist, two receptionists and a domestic member of staff. The practice has XX treatment rooms.

The practice is owned by a company and as a condition of registration must have a person registered with the CQC 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 the practice was the practice manager.

On the day of inspection we collected 10 CQC comment cards. This information gave us a positive view of the practice.

During the inspection we spoke with four dentists, two dental nurses, a trainee dental nurse, the practice manager and a receptionist. We looked at practice policies and procedures and other records about how the service is managed.

The practice is open from 8.30am to 5.30pm Monday to Friday.

Our key findings were:

• The practice was clean and well maintained.
• The practice had infection control procedures which reflected published guidance.
• 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 thorough staff recruitment procedures.
• 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.
• Staff knew how to deal with emergencies. Emergency medicines and life-saving equipment were available in accordance with current national recommendations.
• The majority of staff demonstrated a good understanding of all their roles and responsibilities.
• The clinical staff provided patients’ care and treatment in line with current guidelines, though improvements were required to ensure dental care records were maintained in line with current guidelines.

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

• Review the practice's protocols for the completion of dental care records, taking into account guidance provided by the Faculty of General Dental Practice regarding clinical examinations and record keeping.
• Review systems to ensure all staff have a good understanding of roles and responsibilities, in particular in relation to Gillick competence and awareness of the designated Radiation Protection Supervisor.

Shortly after the inspection the practice took steps to start addressing issues we had identified.