We carried out this announced inspection on 7 December 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

Denora Kidderminster is situated in a converted residential building in Kidderminster, Worcestershire. It provides predominantly NHS treatments to patients of all ages with private treatment options available.

There is level access for people who use wheelchairs and pushchairs. The ground floor of the practice consists of a reception area, a waiting room, an accessible patient toilet, one dental treatment room, a pan oral X-ray room and a practice management office. On the first floor there is a staff room / kitchen, staff toilet, three dental treatment rooms and a decontamination room for the cleaning, sterilising and packing of dental instruments and room used for storing stock and cleaning materials. There are car parking spaces for blue badge holders directly outside the practice in their dedicated car park.

The dental team includes five dentists, five dental nurses (including one trainee dental nurse), one dental hygienist, four receptionists (two of which are also dental nurses) and a practice manager. The practice has four dental treatment rooms.

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.

On the day of inspection we collected 35 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 two dentists, two dental nurses, two receptionists 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 Friday: 8.30am – 6.30pm

Our key findings were:

• Strong and effective leadership was provided by the principal dentist and an empowered practice manager.
• 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 took safety seriously and had systems to help them manage this. The practice had received certification from an external health and safety company for demonstrating a ‘commitment to improved health and safety’.
• 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 offered extended opening hours Monday to Friday to help working age patients access dental care.
• The practice asked staff and patients for feedback about the services they provided.
• The practice dealt with complaints positively and efficiently.
• Staff we spoke with felt well supported by the principal dentist and practice manager and were committed to providing a quality service to their patients.

As part of our visit, we spoke with five people who were registered with the practice and who had received treatment. We also spoke with the practice manager, clinical director, a dentist and two dental nurses about working at the practice.

People that used the practice told us they were very happy with the quality of the information and treatment they received. One person we spoke with said: “I have found a great dentist and I am sticking with them”. Another person we spoke with said: “I am always made to feel very welcome”.

Our visit was discussed and arranged with the practice a couple of days in advance. This was to ensure that we had time to see and speak with staff working at the practice, as well as people registered with the practice.

People felt they were given enough information about their treatment options and the relevant fees. People felt able to ask any questions where they wanted to.

We found people that people received care and treatment in a clean and hygienic environment. People we spoke with had no concerns about the cleanliness of the practice.

We found staff were supported to deliver care and treatment safely and to an appropriate standard.

We looked at records that showed that the provider was regularly monitoring the quality of its service.