We carried out this announced inspection on 31 May 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

Dental Art Studio is located in the London borough of Islington and provides private dental treatment to patients of all ages.

Practice staffing consists of an operations director, four associate dentists, two hygienists, two dental nurses, two receptionists and a registered/practice manager.

The practice manager is the registered manager. A registered manager is a person who is registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons 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 9am to 5.30pm, Tuesday 9am to 6.30pm, Weds and Fri 8am to 5.30pm and

Thurs 8.30am to 6.30pm

The practice facilities include five treatment rooms, a decontamination room, reception/waiting area, an X-ray room, two offices and a staff room

On the day of inspection we collected 37 CQC comment cards filled in by patients and spoke with two other patients. This information gave us a positive view of the practice.

During the inspection we spoke with the operations director, two associate dentists, two dental nurses, receptionist and the practice manager. 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.

We spoke to two patients and seven staff members. Patients we spoke to told us that the appointment system worked well. They were able to book appointments at times convenient to them, and were usually seen promptly by dental staff. They noted ‘I always find it easy to get an appointment,’ and ‘they are pretty quick.’

People told us that their treatment options and costs were explained to them and their privacy and dignity were respected. They were positive about their dentists’ skills, the practice environment, and the knowledge and friendliness of staff. One person noted ‘my dentist is very good – the best I’ve had overall.’

Comments recorded in the practice's comment book included ‘excellent,’ ‘very good,’ ‘virtually pain free,‘ ‘almost enjoyable,’ and ‘I would highly recommend.’

The clinic environment was clean with processes in place to maintain the hygiene of treatment rooms and instruments between each patient.

Appropriate records were kept of each appointment including initial assessments and medical histories.

There was a high standard of quality assurance in place for the practice, with staff receiving regular training to ensure that they performed their roles competently.