We carried out this announced inspection on 26 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

Willenhall Dental Centre is located in a purpose-built health centre in Willenhall, Coventry. The practice provides predominantly NHS treatment with a small private provision to patients of all ages. This is a vocational training practice for dentists and is currently supporting one newly qualified foundation dentist.

There is level access for people who use wheelchairs and those with pushchairs. The practice has ample car parking available for patients in the free car park adjacent to the building.

The dental team includes two principal dentists, one foundation dentist, one qualified dental nurse and four trainee dental nurses who also work in reception. 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 Willenhall Dental Centre was one of the two principal dentists.

On the day of inspection we collected 32 CQC comment cards filled in by patients and spoke with two other patients.

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

The practice is open:

Monday to Friday: from 8am to 5pm and after 5pm by appointment.

Our key findings were:

• The practice had effective leadership and culture of continuous improvement.
• Staff we spoke with felt supported by the principal dentists and were committed to providing quality dental care to their patients in a caring environment.
• 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 staff had safeguarding processes and staff knew their responsibilities for safeguarding adults and children. Copies of the safeguarding flow chart with local authority safeguarding contact details were displayed in the reception and both treatment rooms.
• The practice had thorough staff recruitment procedures.
• The clinical staff provided patients’ care and treatment in line with current guidelines. New updates were shared with staff at practice meetings.
• 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. Patients could access routine treatment and urgent and emergency care when required.
• The practice asked staff and patients for feedback about the services they provided. Results of these audits were analysed and action plans were displayed in the waiting room.
• The practice staff dealt with complaints positively and efficiently.
• The practice staff had suitable information governance arrangements.

During our visit on 14 December 2012 we met with two dentists, the senior dental nurse, and two trainee dental nurses.

We spoke with five people who attended the practice. People described the practice as being welcoming and friendly. People spoke very positively about the quality of the service they had received. One person told us, “The dentist is very up to date and very good; I am very comfortable with her.”

People we spoke with told us that everything was always explained to them. One person said, "The dentist always explains things to me, and it’s really easy to understand my options.”

During our visit we saw the practice was clean and tidy. Processes were in place to ensure that equipment was safe to use and high levels of cleanliness maintained.

The practice had processes in place to monitor people's views about the service offered. People told us they never had cause to complain about the service they had received. People told us they were satisfied with the service and had recommended it to family and friends. One person told us, “I have recommended her to my family and my young nephews go there now. She’s great at putting them at ease.”