We carried out this announced inspection on 8 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

Cherry Hinton Dental Care is a well-established practice based in Cambridge that provides private treatment. Another separately registered dental practice is based at the same location and shares the same staff, costs and facilities with this practice. They both operate as one service. The dental team include two dentists and two trainee dental nurses, who also undertake reception duties. There are two treatment rooms. There is level access for people who use wheelchairs and those with pushchairs. Car parking spaces are available immediately outside the practice.

The practice opens on Mondays from 8:15am to 5pm; on Tuesdays from 8.30am to 4.45pm, on Wednesdays and Thursday from 8.45am to 4.45pm and on Fridays from 8.30am to 4.30pm. The practice also opens on a Saturday from 8.45am to 1pm.

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 Cherry Hinton Dental Practice is the principal dentist.

On the day of inspection, we collected 47 CQC comment cards completed by patients. We spoke with two dentists and two nurses. We looked at practice policies and procedures and other records about how the service is managed.

Our key findings were:

• Information from completed Care Quality Commission comment cards gave us a positive picture of a caring, professional and high-quality service.

• Access to appointments was good and  the practice opened on a Saturday morning.

• The practice had effective systems to help ensure patient safety. These included safeguarding children and adults from abuse, maintaining the required standards of infection prevention and control, and managing radiation risk.

• Patients’ needs were assessed and care was planned and delivered in line with current best practice guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and other published guidance.

• Patients received their care and treatment from well supported staff, who enjoyed their work.

• Members of the dental team were up-to-date with their continuing professional development and were supported to meet the requirements of their professional registration.

• Patients’ complaints were taken seriously, managed effectively and used as a tool to improve the service.

• There was effective leadership and culture of continuous improvement

• The practice asked staff and patients for feedback about the services they provided. Staff felt involved and worked well as a team.