We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 11 January 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

Brightsmile Dental Care (Epsom) is a family run practice owned by three brothers who are equal partners in the business. The practice is an NHS and private dental practice located in a three storey end-of-terraced building occupying a corner shopfront. On the ground floor there is a waiting room, reception desk, treatment room, small meeting room and patient toilet. On the first floor there are two further treatment rooms and a decontamination room and on the second floor there is staff room and an office. The practice is located close to Epsom High Street and Epsom station.

The staff team consists of four dentists, four dental nurses (including one trainee), a dental hygienist, a practice manager, an operations manager and a receptionist/practice coordinator.

The operations manager is the registered manager. 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.

The practice is open Monday to Thursday from 9am to 6pm and Friday from 9am to 5pm.

The inspection took place over one day and was carried out by a CQC inspector and a dental specialist advisor.

Before the inspection we sent Care Quality Commission (CQC) comments cards to the practice for patients to complete to tell us about their experience of the practice. We collected 36 completed cards. All the comments from patients were positive about the care they received from the practice. They were complimentary about the friendly and caring attitude of the dental staff.

Our key findings were:

• We found that the practice ethos was to provide patient centred dental care in a relaxed and friendly environment.
• Strong and effective clinical and business leadership was evident during our inspection underpinned by an effective governance system.
• Patients’ needs were assessed and care was planned in line with current guidance such as from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).
• There were effective systems in place to reduce and minimise the risk and spread of infection.
• The practice had effective safeguarding processes in place and staff understood their responsibilities for safeguarding adults and children living in vulnerable circumstances.
• Staff reported incidents and kept records of these and discussed information for shared learning.
• Equipment, such as the air compressor, autoclave (steriliser), fire extinguishers, and X-ray equipment had all been checked for effectiveness and had been regularly serviced.
• Patients indicated that they felt they were listened to and that they received good care from a helpful and caring practice team.
• The practice ensured staff maintained the necessary skills and competence to support the needs of patients.
• The practice had implemented clear procedures for managing comments, concerns or complaints.
• The provider had a clear vision for the practice and staff told us they were well supported by the management team.
• Governance arrangements and audits were robust and effective in improving the quality and safety of the services.

There were areas where the provider could make improvements and should:

• Review and implement the necessary requirements of the data protection code of practice for surveillance cameras and personal information.

People that used Brightsmile Dental Care (Epsom) told us that they were happy with the service provided.

They felt that they were given enough information about their treatment options and the relevant fees associated with their choice. They stated that they were able to ask all the questions they wanted to and that the staff professional and clerical explained things in a way that they understood.

They found the staff to be friendly and reported that they were treated with respect and their privacy was maintained. They said that the clinic was clean.