We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 5 June 2015 to ask the practice the following key questions; Are services safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led?

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.

Denora Worcester is a general dental practice in central Worcester offering private dental treatment to adults and children. The practice also accepts referrals for computerised tomography (CT) scans which provide detailed three dimensional images of the head (including teeth and other oral structures).

The premises consist of a waiting area adjacent to the reception desk and two treatment rooms. There is also a separate decontamination room.

The staff at the practice consist of the practice owner (principal dentist), a dental nurse, a receptionist and a practice manager.

Our key findings were:

• There were effective systems in place to reduce the risk and spread of infection. We found all treatment rooms and equipment appeared very clean.

• There were systems in place to check all equipment had been serviced regularly, including the suction compressor, autoclave, fire extinguishers, oxygen cylinder and the X-ray equipment.

• The dentist regularly assessed each patient’s gum health and took X-rays at appropriate intervals.

• The practice ensured staff maintained the necessary skills and competence to support the needs of patients.

• The practice kept up to date with current guidelines and was led by a proactive and forward thinking management team.

• Staff were kind, caring, competent and put patients at their ease.

Patients felt they received excellent care from a very friendly practice team; they felt involved in their care, and were given detailed explanations of treatment options

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, 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 had loads, tons of information”. “All relevant. It was brilliant”. Another person we spoke with said: “The quality is of a very high standard, from the receptionist throughout the practice”.

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. One person we spoke with said: “It’s spotless”.

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 regularly monitored the quality of its service.