We carried out this announced inspection on 14 November 2017 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

College Road Dental Practice is one of the longest established practices in Bromsgrove. It was started in the late 1950's and has steadily grown over the years providing NHS and private treatment to patients of all ages.

There is ramped access into the practice for people who use wheelchairs and pushchairs. The ground floor of the practice consists of a reception area with a large waiting room with a children’s corner, an office, an accessible patient toilet, three dental treatment rooms and a decontamination room for the cleaning, sterilising and packing of dental instruments. On the first floor there are a further three dental treatment rooms and a patient toilet. The second floor is accessed by staff only and consists of a staff room, staff kitchen, staff toilet and changing room and the practice manager’s office. Car parking spaces are available for up to one hour on the road outside of the practice. Parking for patients who are blue badge holders or who have long appointments is available in the dedicated car park at the front of the practice.

The dental team includes six dentists, seven dental nurses, one trainee dental nurse, one dental hygienist, three receptionists, an assistant manager and a practice manager, who is also a qualified dental nurse. The practice has six treatment rooms.

The practice is part of a group of six practices 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 College Road Dental Practice is the Clinical Dental Director of the company.

On the day of inspection we collected 18 CQC comment cards filled in by patients and looked at results from recent friends and family test and practice patient satisfaction surveys. This information gave us a positive view of the practice.

During the inspection we spoke with four dentists, four dental nurses, the assistant manager 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: 8.40am – 7pm

Tuesday: 8.40am – 7pm

Wednesday: 8.30am – 5.30pm

Thursday: 8.40am – 5.30pm

Friday: 8am – 4.00pm

Our key findings were:

• The practice was visibly clean and a cleaning company were responsible for the day to day cleaning.
• The practice had infection control procedures which reflected published guidance.
• Staff knew how to deal with emergencies. Appropriate medicines and life-saving equipment were mostly available. On the day of our inspection we found out of date disposable equipment in the medical emergency kit. Replacements were immediately ordered on the day of our inspection.
• The practice mostly had systems to assess, monitor and mitigate the risks relating to the health, safety and welfare of patients, staff and visitors. We found several dental materials in the fridge and three materials in one of the surgeries that were out of date. These were immediately removed and material stock expiry dates were added to the weekly check sheet.
• The practice had suitable safeguarding processes and staff knew their responsibilities for safeguarding adults and children.
• The practice had recruitment policies and procedures and used these to help them check the staff they employed were suitable for their roles.
• The clinical staff provided patients’ care and treatment in line with current guidelines. Dental care records provided comprehensive information about patients care and treatment.
• Staff treated patients with dignity and respect and took care to protect their privacy and personal information.
• The appointment system met patients’ needs. Patients could access treatment and urgent and emergency care when required.
• The practice had effective leadership. Staff we spoke with felt well supported by the practice manager and were committed to providing a quality service to their patients.
• The practice asked staff and patients for feedback about the services they provided.
• The practice dealt with complaints positively and efficiently.