We carried out this announced inspection on 12 June 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

Wanstead Village Dental & Health Centre is in Wanstead in the London Borough of Redbridge. The practice provides NHS and private treatment to patients of all ages.

There is step frees access to the practice The practice is situated close to public transport bus and London Underground services. The practice has six treatment rooms, all of which are located on the ground floor.

The dental team includes the principal dentist, eight associate dentists who work at the practice on a part time basis, one dental foundation dentist, four dental nurses, four trainee dental nurses and a dental hygienist. The clinical team are supported by a team of three receptionists and a cleaner.

The practice is owned by partnership 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 Wanstead Village Dental & Health Centre was the principal dentist.

On the day of inspection we received feedback from 28 patients.

During the inspection we spoke with the principal dentist, two associate dentists, two dental nurses and two receptionists. We looked at practice policies and procedures and other records about how the service is managed.

The practice is open:

Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 9am to 5pm.

Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9am to 7pm.

Saturdays from 9am to 1pm.

The practice closes between 1pm and 2pm each day for lunch

Our key findings were:

• The practice appeared clean and well maintained.
• The practice 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.
• The practice had suitable safeguarding processes and staff knew their responsibilities for safeguarding adults and children.
• The practice 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 practice was providing preventive care and supporting patients to ensure better oral health.
• The appointment system met patients’ needs.
• The practice had effective leadership and culture of continuous improvement.
• 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.
• The practice had suitable information governance arrangements.

People who used this dental practice told us that they were very pleased with the quality of the service provided. One person told us “very good. They make me feel at ease.” Another said “the dentist is nice and very good with children.” People also told us that they were treated with respect and that treatments were clearly explained to them. One person said “they always explain things to my daughter so that she is not afraid and she cooperates with them because of this.” Another told us “they explain things and seem to know what they are doing.”

Suitable arrangements were in place for cleaning and sterilising dental equipment. We found that people were treated in a safe, clean and hygienic environment. People told us that they were happy with the cleanliness of the practice. One person said “it’s always clean and hygienic.” Another told us “it’s always clean and they wear gloves and masks.”

People’s records were accurate and up to date providing information about the advice and treatment that they had received. Records were securely stored to ensure that patient confidentiality was maintained.