We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 27 June 2016 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

Edward Byrne and Associates Dental Practice is a mixed dental practice providing mainly private dental care with some NHS care for both adults and children. Where private treatment was provided half was provided under a fee per item basis and half under a dental insurance plan. The practice holds an NHS contract for the provision of the surgical removal of teeth on a referral basis only. The practice is situated in a converted domestic property. The practice had four dental treatment rooms and separate decontamination rooms for cleaning, sterilising and packing dental instruments. Also included were a reception and waiting area and other rooms used by the practice for office facilities, storage and housing a specialised X-ray machine.

The practice is open 9am – 5.30pm Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, Tuesday 9am – 7.30pm, Friday 9am – 4.30pm and alternate Saturday’s 9am – 12.30pm. The practice has four dentists and three visiting dentists who provide surgical dentistry including the provision of dental implants. They are supported by seven dental nurses, a dental hygiene/therapist, a dental hygienist and a practice manager. Other staff include a dedicated decontamination technician and two receptionists.

The owner of the practice 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 registered manager was supported in their role by the practice manager.

Before the inspection we sent Care Quality Commission comment cards to the practice for patients to complete to tell us about their experience of the practice. We received feedback from 46 patients. These provided a completely positive view of the services the practice provides. Patients commented on the high quality of care, the caring nature of all staff, the cleanliness of the practice and the overall high quality of customer care.

Our key findings were:

• The practice had a mission statement to reflect the aims and objectives of the practice.
• Strong and effective clinical leadership was provided by the practice owner.
• The practice benefitted from a stable staff base and an empowered practice manager.
• Staff had been trained to handle emergencies and appropriate medicines and life-saving equipment was readily available in accordance with current guidelines.
• The practice appeared very clean and well maintained.
• Infection control procedures were robust and the practice followed published guidance.
• The practice had a safeguarding lead with effective processes in place for safeguarding adults and children living in vulnerable circumstances.
• Staff reported incidents and kept records of these which the practice used for shared learning.
• Dentists provided dental care in accordance with current professional and National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines
• The service was aware of the needs of the local population and took these into account in how the practice was run.
• Patients could access treatment and urgent and emergency care when required.
• Staff recruitment files were organised and complete.
• Staff had received training appropriate to their roles and were supported in their continued professional development (CPD) by the practice owner and practice manager.
• Staff we spoke to felt well supported by the practice owner and practice manager and were committed to providing a quality service to their patients.
• Information from 46 completed Care Quality Commission (CQC) comment cards gave us a positive picture of a friendly, caring, professional and high quality service.

When we visited Edward Byrne Associates Dental Practice on 31 January 2013, we spoke with three people who had seen a dentist that day. Each person told us how satisfied they were with the service they received. They described to us how well the dentists explained their options and provided information for them to make their own decisions on treatments.

One person told us about a specific dentist saying, ''They have a conversation with me and explain options, including any risks, so that I can make a decision.'' Another said, ''The dentist takes a lot of care. I ask for advice and the dentist is always very informative.’’

The surgery had sufficient processes in place to ensure that treatment was delivered safely. All areas of the building were clean and tidy and there were robust infection control processes in place to ensure people were treated safely.

People told us that they would be confident in discussing any shortfall or complaints if it were necessary. We saw a recent, independently conducted patient survey showing high levels of satisfaction.