We carried out this announced inspection on 23 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

Wellesley Dental Practice is located in Chiswick in the London Borough of Hounslow. The practice provides private treatment to patients of all ages.

There is step free access to the practice and the practice has four dental surgeries which are located on the ground floor. The practice is situated close to public transport bus and train services.

The dental team includes the principal dentist who is the owner, two dental hygienists and two dental nurses. The clinical team are supported by a practice manager

The practice is owned by an individual who is the principal dentist 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 received feedback from 43 patients.

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

The practice is open:

Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 8.30am to 5.30pm.

Thursdays from 10am to 7.30pm

Fridays from 8.30am to 4.30pm.

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.
• 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 told us that their dentist explained their treatment and costs to them prior to any work being done. They told us they were happy with the service they provided. One person told us " I have been coming here for 20 years and I am happy with the service and I am always informed of my treatment and the costs involved, and if i am unsure of anything I will ask."

Medical information was reviewed before the start of each treatment to ensure it was up to date and accurate but also to ensure the person did not have any medical problems that would cause problems during treatment. Effective systems to manage the risk of infection were in place. One person told us " staff always wear protective clothing before starting treatment, they also give me protective equipment to wear".

Complaint information was available for people to use if they wanted to raise any concerns. One person told us that if they had a complaint to would speak with the dentist.