We carried out this announced inspection on 14 January 2019 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

Alchemy Dental Practice Limited – Stoke provides NHS and private treatment to adults and children.

There is level access for people who use wheelchairs and those with pushchairs. Car parking spaces are available near the practice.

The dental team includes eight dentists, 16 dental nurses, a decontamination lead, one dental hygienist / therapist, six receptionists, a practice lead and a site lead. The practice has nine 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 Alchemy Dental Practice Limited – Stoke is one of the principal dentists.

On the day of inspection, we collected 30 CQC comment cards filled in by patients.

During the inspection we spoke with three dentists, two dental nurses, one receptionist and the practice lead. We looked at practice policies and procedures and other records about how the service is managed.

The practice is open:

Our key findings were:

• The practice appeared clean and well maintained.
• The provider had infection control procedures which reflected published guidance.
• Staff knew how to deal with emergencies. Not all medical emergency resuscitation equipment was available as described in nationally recognised guidance. This was ordered on the day of inspection.
• Improvements could be made to the processes for managing the risks associated with fire and Legionella.
• The provider had suitable safeguarding processes and staff knew their responsibilities for safeguarding vulnerable adults and children.
• The provider had thorough staff recruitment procedures. Minor improvements could be made to the process for obtaining Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks for newly recruited members of staff.
• 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.
• Staff were providing preventive care and supporting patients to ensure better oral health.
• The appointment system took account of patients’ needs.
• The provider had effective leadership and culture of continuous improvement.
• Staff felt involved and supported and worked well as a team.
• The provider asked patients for feedback about the services they provided.
• The provider dealt with complaints positively and efficiently.
• The provider had suitable information governance arrangements.

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

• Review the fire safety risk assessment and ensure ongoing fire safety management is effective.
• Review the Legionella risk assessment to ensure it is identifies the sentinel outlets and water temperatures are within the correct range.
• Review the practice's recruitment procedures to ensure that appropriate checks are completed prior to new staff commencing employment at the practice.

During our inspection we spoke with six people who use the service, four members of staff and the registered manager. The people we spoke with all said they would recommend this service to others. One person said, "They're brilliant. They always explain everything including the cost".

We saw that staff treated people politely, in a caring and professional manner.

There were clear procedures in place to ensure the practice was kept clean. The instruments were cleaned thoroughly and sterilized after use.