We carried out this announced inspection on 25 April 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.

We told the NHS England area team and Healthwatch that we were inspecting the practice. They did not have any relevant information to share with us regarding this dental practice.

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

Daventry Dental Practice is located in premises situated in the market town of Daventry in Northamptonshire and provides mostly NHS (85%) treatment to patients of all ages.

There was stepped access for patients to the front door which made access difficult for people who use wheelchairs and pushchairs. However, alternative arrangements were available at another local dental practice. Car parking spaces, including for patients with disabled badges, are available outside the practice or at a number of free public car parks in the area.

The dental team includes four dentists; two hygienists; nine qualified dental nurses including the practice manager; two trainee dental nurses and two customer care staff. The practice has five treatment rooms, two of which are on the ground floor.

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 Daventry Dental Practice was the practice manager.

On the day of inspection we collected 14 CQC comment cards filled in by patients and spoke with three other patients. This information gave us a positive view of the practice.

During the inspection we spoke with four dentists, three dental nurses, one therapist 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 to Thursday: 8:30 am to 5:30 pm; and Friday: 8 am to 4:30 pm.

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.

We spoke with people who use the service and they told us they were happy with the service provided. One person told us that they had ben using the service for many years and had always been happy.