We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 24 September 2015 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

Church Street Dental Surgery provides private dental care only. The practice has two surgeries and two dentists work at the practice. The dentists are supported by two dental nurses and two members of reception staff.

The lead dentist is the responsible person. This is a person who is registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘responsible persons’ and 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 the inspection we spoke with one patient who told us that they were satisfied with the services provided at the practice. They told us that they were treated with kindness, dignity and respect and their privacy was maintained. They said that explanations and costs were clear and they were involved in the decisions about their care and treatment.

We viewed ten comments cards that we had left for patients to complete prior to our inspection. The cards all contained positive comments about the services provided. Patients said that they were satisfied with the cleanliness of the practice, the politeness of the receptionists and the quality of the dentistry. The said the appointment system met their needs and that they received clear explanations about their care and treatment.

Our key findings were:

• There were systems in place to manage safety incidents and complaints and to cascade any learning from them to staff.
• There were sufficient supplies of emergency medicines and equipment and staff had been trained in their use.
• All staff had received safeguarding training and were aware of the different signs of abuse and how to report incidents.
• Risks to patients and staff had been assessed and managed effectively. National patient safety and medicine alerts were monitored and acted upon.
• Recruitment processes were robust. Staff had been appropriately trained and received an annual appraisal
• Infection control procedures followed published guidance and staff were following the correct decontamination procedures.
• Treatments and consultations followed guidance from the National Institute for Health Care Excellence.
• An effective complaints process was in place and this was readily available for patients to view.
• Patients were treated with dignity and respect and staff were polite and courteous.
• The appointment system met the needs of patients including access to emergency dental care.
• The practice was well-led and the lead dentists set standards for staff to follow and monitored them.
• Patient and feedback was sought and monitored through the use of a monthly patient survey. Staff feedback was sought informally and at staff meetings.
• Staff were involved in the vision and strategy at the practice and worked as part of a team

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

• Ensure staff wear appropriate personal protective equipment when decontaminating dental instruments. Ensure staff manually cleaning instruments brush them under the water line to reduce the risk of cross contaminating through splashing.
• Ensure staff cleaning dental instruments follow hand washing guidance before and after the cleaning process.