We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 19 April 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

Bhandal Dental Practice - 190 High street has 10 dentists, 13 qualified dental nurses who are registered with the General Dental Council (GDC) and two receptionists. The practice’s opening hours are from 9am to 5.30pm Monday to Friday. The practice is closed between 1.30pm and 2.30pm Monday to Friday.

Bhandal Dental Practice provides NHS and private treatment for adults and children. The practice is situated in a converted property. There are dental treatment rooms on the ground floor and on the first floor; the first floor treatment rooms are rarely used. There is a separate decontamination room for cleaning, sterilising and packing dental instruments. There is also a reception and a main waiting area on the ground floor.

The registered manager was present during this inspection. A registered manager is a person who is registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. 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.

Before the inspection we sent Care Quality Commission comments cards to the practice for patients to complete to tell us about their experience of the practice and during the inspection we spoke with patients. We received feedback from 16 patients who provided an overwhelmingly positive view of the services the practice provides. All of the patients commented that the quality of care was very good.

Our key findings were:

• Systems were in place for the recording and learning from significant events and accidents.
• There were sufficient numbers of suitably qualified staff to meet the needs of patients.
• Patients were treated with dignity and respect.
• The practice was visibly clean and well maintained.
• The provider had emergency medicines in line with the British National Formulary (BNF) guidance for medical emergencies in dental practice.
• Staff had been trained to deal with medical emergencies.
• The practice kept up to date with current guidelines when considering the care and treatment needs of patients.
• Infection prevention and control systems were in place, and audits were completed on a six monthly basis.
• Options for treatment were identified and explored and patients said they were involved in making decisions about their treatment.
• Patients’ confidentiality was maintained.
• The appointment system met the needs of patients and waiting times were kept to a minimum.
• Health promotion advice was given to patients appropriate to their individual needs such as smoking cessation or dietary advice.
• Some staff from within the practice visited local schools to provide oral health and hygiene advice to children.

This practice is located on three floors and has seven treatment rooms, five of which were in use and three of which were on the ground floor and so were accessible for people with restricted mobility.

During our inspection we spoke with six people, one of the dentists, five dental nurses and the clinical governance manager. We looked at the treatment records of eight people.

People told us that they were happy with the care and treatment they had received. One person said, “It’s a really good service.”

Dental records provided good information about the treatment people had received, their medical history and the frequency of follow up visits.

We found that the decontamination process for dental instruments followed guidelines and should ensure that people would be safe from the risk of cross infection.

Staff selection and recruitment procedures were robust to ensure that suitable staff were employed to look after people. People we spoke with were all complimentary about the staff. One person said, “They do their best to put you at ease.”

People who used the service had access to the practice’s complaints procedure and could be confident that their concerns would be acted upon.