We carried out this announced inspection on 8 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

Darwood & Tanner dental practice is located in Westminster and provides private treatment to patients of all ages.

There is access for people who use wheelchairs and those with pushchairs via a lift and ramp.

The dental team includes 11 dentists, 15 dental nurses, a sterile services technician, five dental hygienists, three receptionists, two patient co coordinators and a practice manager. The practice has 12 treatment rooms.

The practice is owned by a partnership 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 Darwood & Tanner dental practice was one of the principal dentists.

On the day of inspection we collected 10 CQC comment cards filled in by patients and spoke with four other patients. This information gave us a positive view of the practice.

During the inspection we spoke with three dentists, three dental nurses, two receptionists, the medications lead, the sterile services technician and the practice manager. We looked at practice policies and procedures and other records about how the service is managed.

The practice is open were 9.00am to 5.00pm

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 safeguarding processes and staff knew their responsibilities for safeguarding adults and children.
• The practice had a staff recruitment procedure.
• 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.

There were areas where the provider could make improvements. They should:

• Review staff training to ensure that all of the staff had undergone relevant training, to an appropriate level, in the safeguarding of children and vulnerable adults.

• Review the practice's recruitment policy and procedures to ensure accurate, complete and detailed records are maintained for all staff.

• Review the practice protocols to ensure the training, learning and development needs of individual staff members are reviewed at appropriate intervals.

People who use services felt that staff protect their privacy and always treats them with respect. Most people we spoke with felt that staff listened to them and offered them choices about their care and treatment.

People we spoke with felt involved in their care and said that staff were friendly and helpful. We saw good interactions between people who use the service and staff. People are given choices and have the opportunity to form good relationships with staff. Overall, the feedback was that people are being cared for and looked after well.