We carried out this announced inspection on 12 September 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

Bridge Dental and Implant Clinic is in the Littleover area of Derby. The practice provides both NHS and private dental treatment to adults and children.

There is one small step into the practice, otherwise there is level access to all ground floor treatment rooms, reception and the waiting room. This is of benefit for people who use wheelchairs and those with pushchairs. There is a car park at the practice or roadside parking in the immediate area around the practice.

The dental team includes eight dentists (with one specialist implantologist and one denture expert), one dental hygienist, one dental hygiene therapist, ten qualified dental nurses, four trainee dental nurses, one receptionist and one practice manager. The practice has six treatment rooms four of which are located on the ground floor with level access.

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 49 patients.

During the inspection we spoke with four dentists, one dental hygienist, four dental nurses and the practice manager. We looked at practice policies and procedures and other records about how the service is managed.

The practice is open: Monday to Thursday: 9am to 5.30pm and Friday: 9am to 4pm. The practice is closed on Saturdays and Sundays.

Our key findings were:

• The practice appeared clean and well maintained.
• The practice staff 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 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 and culture of continuous improvement.
• Staff felt involved and supported and worked well as a team.

We spoke with people who use the service. They told us staff were friendly and approachable and spoke to them in a respectful way. People we spoke with told us staff treated them with dignity and communicated well.

People told us they had discussed the treatment options available to them and felt they were able to make informed choices about their treatment. This shows that people who use the service understood the care and treatment choices available to them. None of the people we spoke with told us they had any difficulty in making appointments. One person told us “when I was ill I had to rearrange my appointment twice, but they were very accommodating”.

They told us they felt the practice delivered care and treatment in a way that met their needs. People told us they felt safe at the service and never seen anything of concern. One person told us “I am happy here, I’ve never had course to complain”.

People told us they felt the practice was clean. One person told us “it’s always kept in good shape”. People told us staff always wore gloves and other protective clothing to prevent cross contamination; this was confirmed by our observation on the day. One person told us “it’s good because it stops you getting spray on your clothes or in your eyes”.

People told us they had the opportunity to complete patient comment forms. We saw a patient information leaflet contained information about opening times, emergency contacts and the complaints procedure