We carried out this announced inspection on 6 March 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 Care Quality Commission 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

Central Dental is in the London Borough of Hounslow. The practice provides general private dental treatment to patients of all ages.

The practice is located on the ground floor level in a purpose adapted premises. There is step free access to the practice and one treatment room which is located on the ground floor.

The practice is located close to public transport bus and train services.

The dental team includes the principal dentist and one dental nurse. The clinical team are supported the practice manager.

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 Central Dental was the practice manager.

On the day of inspection we received feedback from 28 patients.

During the inspection we spoke with the principal dentist, the dental nurse and the practice manager. We looked at practice policies and procedures and other records about how the service is managed.

The practice is open between 8.30am and 6pm on Mondays to Thursdays, between 8.30am and 3pm on Fridays and between 9am and 1pm on Saturdays.

Appointments are available between 9am and 5pm on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays and between 2pm and 5.30pm on Wednesdays.

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Our key findings were:

• The practice appeared clean and well maintained.
• The practice 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 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.
• Staff felt involved and supported and worked well as a team.
• The practice asked staff and patients for feedback about the services they provided.
• The practice had arrangements to deal with complaints positively and efficiently.
• The practice had suitable information governance arrangements.

We spoke with the dentist, the practice manager and a dental nurse. We also spoke with two patients who were satisfied with the care and treatment they received. They told us that they were given information about the treatment options available to them, the cost of these and said they were given time to make a decision that was right for them.

Patients told us they were asked about their medical history and we saw that patients were given advice and information about lifestyle choices that may be affecting their oral health. The surgery had planned for foreseeable emergencies and staff told us that they had received training for dealing with medical emergencies.

The patients spoken with told us they were very happy with the care and treatment they received. One patient said, "he's the first dentist I haven't been scared of" and another said, "he is very gentle, reassuring and doesn't rush".

The practice was clean at the time of our visit and the patients we spoke with said that the service was always clean when they attended an appointment.

Staff received ongoing training and support to ensure they were able to meet patient's needs effectively

The practice had a complaints management system in place and information about how to make a complaint was displayed in the reception area as well as a comments book for patients to express their views about the service.