We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 12 January 2016 to ask the practice the following key questions; Are services safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led?

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

The practice offers private primary care dentistry to adult patients and children are treated under the NHS.

The practice is open Monday, Tuesday and Thursday from 8.45am to 5.30pm. On a Wednesday the practice is open from 9am to 8.00pm. The practice closes at 5pm on a Friday.

There are two dentists, four dental nurses, one trainee dental nurse, three dental hygienist/ therapists, two receptionists and a business manager supported by a practice coordinator.

The principal dentist is the registered person for the practice. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the practice is run.

We received feedback from patients about the service via seven Care Quality Commission (CQC) comment cards. All the comments were positive about the staff and the services provided. Comments included: staff are helpful, understanding and provide a great service.

Our key findings were:

• There was an effective complaints system.
• Staff had received safeguarding training, knew how to recognise signs of abuse and how to report it.
• There were sufficient numbers of suitably qualified staff to meet the needs of patients.
• Staff had been trained to manage medical emergencies.
• Infection control procedures were in accordance with the published guidelines.
• Patient care and treatment was planned and delivered in line with evidence based guidelines and current regulations.
• Patients received clear explanations about their proposed treatment, costs, benefits and risks and were involved in making decisions about it.
• Patients were treated with dignity and respect and confidentiality was maintained.
• Patients could access routine treatment and urgent care when required.
• The practice was well-led, staff felt involved and supported and worked well as a team.
• The governance systems were effective.
• The practice sought feedback from staff and patients about the services they provided.

We were not able to talk to any people who use the service on the day we visited but the practice undertook patient satisfaction surveys on a regular basis. The specific comments in this report have come from the most recent patient surveys. These included, "I was very nervous and liked the way my treatment was explained to me", and "Nothing could have been done better and I was very happy with the service".

We found that the service was very well run with policies and procedures in place to ensure people who used the service were kept well informed about the treatment that was available to them.

Staff were trained and supported by the management team to provide a high level of service to people who used this dental practice.