We carried out this announced inspection on 30 January 2018 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

Craven Park Dental Clinic is located in the London Borough of Brent and provides NHS and private treatment to patients of all ages.

There is access for people who use wheelchairs and those with pushchairs. Car parking spaces are available near the practice.

Practice staffing consists of a principal dentist, three dentists, two dental nurses, two trainee dental nurses and a receptionist.

The practice is owned by an individual who is the principal dentist there. They 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 Friday 9am to 5.30pm

The practice facilities include three treatment rooms, a decontamination room, X-ray room, reception, waiting area and staff kitchen.

On the day of inspection we collected feedback from 11 patients. This information gave us a positive view of the practice.

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

Our key findings were:

• The practice was 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 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 dealt with complaints positively and efficiently.

Patients who used the dental practice spoke highly about the quality of the dental service they received. They told us they were treated with respect and that staff were welcoming and approachable. The patients we spoke to all confirmed that they would recommend the dental practice to other people.

Patients told us the dentists informed them of how they could improve their dental health. They confirmed that they felt involved in decisions about their dental treatment and were provided with treatment options, which were explained to them in a way they understood. Patients told us that all costs were made clear to them before treatment commenced and they confirmed they were asked for their consent prior to all their dental treatment. Patients said their privacy and dignity were respected and they told us that the premises including the dental rooms were always very clean.

We saw there were arrangements for infection control checks and cleaning tasks to be carried out. Staff were knowledgeable about infection control and decontamination procedures for equipment and instruments used.

Comments from patients included: “I sign forms to do with my treatment”, “The dentist tells me about my treatment”, “All my family come here”, “The staff are very friendly”, “I can get an appointment quite easily”, “I am very happy with the dentist”, It’s always clean here”, “I would recommend it”.