We carried out this announced inspection on 02 November 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

Ferring Dental Clinic is located in Ferring, close to Worthing. It provides private treatment to patients of all ages.

The practice occupies ground floor premises. There is one treatment room in use which is wheelchair accessible. There is separate reception and patient waiting area and a separate sterilisation area.

The dental team includes the principal dentist, one associate dentist, two qualified dental nurses, two dental hygienists, two receptionists and a practice manager.

The practice is owned by an individual who is the principal dentist. 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, both dental nurses, one dental hygienist, one receptionist and the practice manager. We looked at practice policies and procedures and other records about how the service is managed.

On the day of inspection all 50 CQC comment cards sent ahead of the inspection had been filled in by patients. This information gave us an entirely positive view of the practice.

The practice is open: Monday to Friday from 8am to 8pm and Saturday’s from 8am to 1pm. The reception desk is open Monday to Friday from 9am to 6pm.

Our key findings were:

• The practice appeared clean and well maintained.
• The practice had infection control procedures which required updating to reflect current 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 supported.
• The practice asked staff and patients for feedback about the services they provided.
• The practice dealt with complaints positively and efficiently.

We found areas where the provider could make improvements and should:

• Review availability of equipment to manage medical emergencies taking into account guidelines issued by the Resuscitation Council (UK), and the General Dental Council (GDC) standards for the dental team.
• Review the practice’s infection control procedures and protocols to take into account guidelines issued by the Department of Health - Health Technical Memorandum 01-05: Decontamination in primary care dental practices and have regard to The Health and Social Care Act 2008: ‘Code of Practice about the prevention and control of infections and related guidance’
• Review the practice’s protocols for the use of rubber dam for root canal treatment taking into account guidelines issued by the British Endodontic Society.
• Review staff training to ensure that all of the staff have undergone relevant training, to an appropriate level, in the safeguarding of children and vulnerable adults.

There were no patients available for us to speak with at the time of our visit to the practice. However, we spoke with three people by telephone that had used the service. All three were very positive about the service they received from the dentist. One person said they had had extensive treatments at the clinic and that the dentist had treated them well; had explained the amount of treatment required and the options available. They said they had not been rushed into making a decision about which options to choose. Another patient said the dentist was “very, very good and competent”; whilst the third patient said they had been treated by the dentist at another practice and decided to register with them again when they opened their own practice.

All three people said that the dentist checked their medical histories at each visit. They said they would recommend the practice to others.