We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 29 September 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.

Background

Eagle Dental Practice is situated in the village of Liphook, in Hampshire. The consulting and treatment areas are all on the ground floor and there is level access. There is a dedicated decontamination area, two consulting rooms and a waiting area. The practice provides private treatment and care which includes routine examinations, and treatments including, veneers, crowns and bridges and oral hygiene. Treatment costs and options for payment are available from within the practice or on their website. The practice also provided dental treatment to patients using a private dental plan.

The staff structure of the practice is comprised of a principal dentist, one dental nurse/practice manager and one receptionist. The practice engages the services of a dental hygienist who attends the practice on set days and appointments can be booked through the practice appointment system. Opening times are Monday to Friday 9am-1pm and 2pm-5pm. The practice offers a 24 hour emergency service.

The dental nurse/practice manager was the registered manager at the time of the inspection. A registered manager is a person who is registered with the CQC 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.

Our key findings were:

The inspection took place over one day and was carried out by a CQC inspector and dentist specialist advisor. Nineteen patients provided feedback about the service. All were positive about their experience and described the practice as excellent, caring, calm and hygienic. Patients said they were satisfied with their treatment and would recommend the practice to others.

Our key findings were:

• Patients’ needs were assessed and care was planned in line with current guidance such as from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).
• There were effective systems in place to reduce and minimise the risk and spread of infection.
• The practice had effective safeguarding processes in place and staff understood their responsibilities for safeguarding adults and children.
• Equipment, such as the air compressor, autoclave (steriliser), fire extinguishers, and X-ray equipment had all been checked for effectiveness and had been regularly serviced.
• Patients indicated that they felt they were listened to and that they received good care from a helpful and caring practice team.
• The practice had implemented clear procedures for managing comments, concerns or complaints.
• Governance arrangements and audits were effective in improving the quality and safety of the services.

At our last inspection of the practice in September 2013 we found that the practice did not store their patient records securely. We also identified that the information recorded in patients' notes did not provide appropriate information relating to their assessment and treatment.

We carried out this inspection to review the improvements that the provider told us had been made to the practice. We found that patient records were now stored securely. New procedures had been put in place to record the findings of soft tissue examinations and to record other relevant information within patient records.

During and after our visit we spoke with six people about their care and treatment. Everybody told us that the dentist discussed the treatment options that were available to them. They all said that the dentist explained things in a way they could understand. One person said: “They treat you as an individual; they don’t rush you and take the time to explain.” This meant that the dentist provided people with information to understand the options available to them for their treatment. Patients told us they had received thorough examinations.However we found that information recorded for patients by the dentist at the practice contained very little information. There was no record of any discussions between the dentist and their patient.

One person said: “He explains everything; photos and x-rays are shown to you as well”. All the people we spoke with except one said they received a written treatment plan so they were aware of their proposed treatment. The practice sought feedback from their patients in the form of a satisfaction survey; the most recent took place in June 2013. The results showed that 100% of the people who responded were satisfied with the service they received. Comments included; “I have confidence in the dentist” and “I am treated with care and concern by the nurse".