We carried out this announced inspection of Dentastique Dental Surgery 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. A CQC inspector, who was supported by a specialist dental adviser, led the inspection.

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 well-led care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Background

Dentastique is a well-established practice owned by Dr Diyari Abdah, situated to the south of Cambridge City. It provides both NHS and private treatment to patients of all ages. The dental team includes three dentists, a part-time hygienist, three dental nurses, and a receptionist. The practice has three treatment rooms and is open on Monday, Wednesday and Thursdays from 8am to 7pm; and on Tuesdays and Fridays from 8am to 4pm.

There is side entry access for people who use wheelchairs and partially enabled toilet facilities.

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.

During the inspection we spoke with the principal dentist, two dental nurses and the receptionist. We looked at the practice’s policies and procedures, and other records about how the service was managed. We collected seventeen comment cards filled in by patients prior to our inspection, and spoke with another two during it.

Our key findings were:

• Opening times were good and the practice offered extended hours early in the morning and three evenings a week.

• Staff treated patients with dignity and respect and took care to protect their privacy and personal information. We received many comments from patients praising the caring and empathetic nature of the practice’s staff.

• The practice had suitable safeguarding processes and staff knew their responsibilities for safeguarding adults and children.

• Patients’ needs were assessed and care was planned and delivered in line with current best practice guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and other published guidance. Members of the dental team were up-to-date with their continuing professional development and supported to meet the requirements of their professional registration.

• Staff felt supported and valued by the principal dentist. The practice proactively sought feedback from staff and patients, which it acted on.

There were areas where the provider could make improvements and should:

• Review the practice’s governance procedures and implement robust systems to ensurethat medical equipment checks are completed accurately, unusual events are recorded, cleaning is effective, X-rays are justified and recruitment checks are completed.

• Review the security of prescription pads in the practice and ensure there are systems in place to track and monitor their use.

• Review the practice's policy in relation to products identified under Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) 2002 Regulations to ensure risk assessments are undertaken and safety data sheets are available

• Review staff awareness and understanding of patient consent issues in relation to children and young people.

During our inspection on 08 March 2013 we spoke with two people who told us they were satisfied with their care and treatment and that they had been spoken to politely by reception and dental staff whenever they attended the practice. They told us that the dentist had given them appropriate explanations and information about their treatment and that dental staff were polite and respectful.

Care records showed people had been fully included in decision making and that their treatment had been adequately recorded.

Staff had received safeguarding training. The policies for safeguarding children and for vulnerable adults were appropriate and ensured that staff would refer any concerns directly to the Local Authority should this be necessary.

We found the practice was following the Department of Health published guidelines for managing infection control processes which ensured people were not exposed to the risks of cross infection.

The premises were clean and had been well maintained. We saw that there were suitable arrangements in place to reduce the risks of fire.