We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 1 October 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

Five Lamps Dental Practice was registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in June 2011 to provide dental services to patients in Derby. The practice provides private dental treatment. Services provided include general dentistry, dental hygiene, teeth whitening, crowns and bridges, and root canal treatment.

The practice is open Monday to Friday 8:30 am to 5:30 pm. Access for urgent treatment outside of opening hours is usually through the NHS 111 service, or the Derby Emergency Dental Services.

The practice has one dentist, one orthodontist, one hygienist/ therapist, and two dental nurses. There is a practice manager, and one receptionist.

The practice does not have a registered manager, as the provider is registered as an individual, and therefore a registered manager is not required.

We received feedback from 50 patients about the services provided. All of the feedback was positive, with no negative comments at all. Patients said they were extremely happy with the service provided, and spoke positively about their experience at this dentist. Patients said they were treated well at the practice by all the staff, and that staff were friendly and approachable and reassuring. Patients said they were able to ask questions, and the dentist explained the treatment options and costs clearly to them.

Our key findings were:

• The practice kept records of accidents, significant events and complaints.
• Learning from any complaints and significant incidents were recorded and learning was shared with staff.
• All staff had received whistle blowing training and were aware of these procedures and the actions required.
• Feedback from patients was very positive, with several comments about the quality of the dental service they received.
• Patients said, and we observed that they were treated with dignity and respect.
• Records showed there were sufficient numbers of suitably qualified staff to meet the needs of patients.
• All staff had been trained to deal with medical emergencies.
• Emergency medicines, an automated external defibrillator (AED) and oxygen were readily available. An AED is a portable electronic device that automatically diagnoses life threatening irregularities of the heart and delivers an electrical shock to attempt to restore a normal heart rhythm.
• The practice followed the relevant guidance from the Department of Health's: ‘Health Technical Memorandum 01-05 (HTM 01-05) for infection control.
• Patients’ care and treatment was planned and delivered in line with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines.
• Patients were involved in making decisions about their treatment
• The practice carried out regular audits to ensure the quality of the service and identify where improvements were needed.
• Patients’ confidentiality was maintained.

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

• Review the local rules to include the name and contact details of the radiation protection advisor (RPA).

People we spoke to said that they received care which met their needs and felt staff communicated with them well. They also said that they felt the practice was clean and that staff used personal protective equipment to ensure hygienic practice.