We carried out this announced inspection on 11 August 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

The Grange Dental Hygiene Centre is located in Chichester. It provides private dental hygiene treatment to patients of all ages. The centre is affiliated to a dental surgery and provides dental hygiene care to patients who can access the centre directly without having to see a dentist first.

The centre is a grade two listed building located on two floors. There is one treatment room on the ground floor, one treatment room on the first floor and a separate decontamination room. There is a patient waiting and reception area. Parking is available close to the centre.

The hygiene team includes three hygienists, five qualified dental nurses, two receptionists and a centre manager.

The centre is owned by a company and as a condition of registration must have a person registered with the Care Quality Commission as the registered manager. Registered managers have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated regulations about how the centre is run. The registered manager at The Grange Dental Hygiene Centre was the principal dentist of the affiliated dental surgery.

On the day of inspection we collected 30 CQC comment cards filled in by patients and spoke with four other patients. This information gave us a positive view of the centre.

During the inspection we spoke with one hygienist, two dental nurses, the centre manager and two receptionists. We looked at centre policies and procedures and other records about how the service is managed.

The centre is open: Monday to Wednesday from 8.30am to 5pm, Thursday from 8.30am to 4:30pm, Friday from 8.30am to 5.15pm and Saturdays (one per month) from 8.30am to 1pm.

Our key findings were:

• The centre appeared clean and well maintained.
• The centre had infection control procedures which reflected published guidance.
• Staff knew how to deal with emergencies. Appropriate medicines and life-saving equipment were available.
• The centre had systems to help them manage risk.
• The centre had suitable safeguarding processes and staff knew their responsibilities for safeguarding adults and children.
• The centre 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 centre had effective leadership. Staff felt involved and supported and worked well as a team.
• The centre asked staff and patients for feedback about the services they provided.
• The centre dealt with complaints positively and efficiently.