We carried out this announced inspection on 14 February 2018 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

Dr Barkhordar's Dental Implant Clinic is located in Westminster and provides private treatment to patients of all ages. The practice specialises in dental implants.

The dental team includes a dentist, a dental nurse and a practice manager. The practice has a treatment room that also encompasses a decontamination area.

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 received feedback from 21 patients. This information gave us a positive view of the practice.

During the inspection we spoke the dentist, the dental nurse and the practice manager. We looked at practice policies and procedures and other records about how the service is managed.

The practice is open: 8.30 to 5.30 Monday to Thursday.

Our key findings were:

• The practice appeared 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.

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

• Review staff training to ensure that all staff carrying out or assisting with dental procedures carried out under conscious sedation have the appropriate training and skills to carry out the role, taking into account guidelines published by The Intercollegiate Advisory Committee on Sedation in Dentistry in the document 'Standards for Conscious Sedation in the Provision of Dental Care 2015. The provider should also gain documentary evidence as to the competencies and training of people delivering conscious sedation.
• Review the systems for checking and monitoring electrical equipment taking into account current national guidance and ensure that all equipment is well maintained.
• Review the practice's current audit protocols to ensure audits of key aspects of service delivery are undertaken at regular intervals

We weren’t able to speak to people who use services on this occasion. We saw evidence through patient satisfaction survey report that people were satisfied with the services.