We carried out this announced inspection on 27 July 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

Grin – Bridlington provides private treatment to adults and children.

There is no access for people who use wheelchairs as both treatment rooms are on the first floor, but they are directed to a nearby service which is accessible. Car parking spaces, including for patients with disabled badges, are available near the practice.

The dental team includes two dentists, two dental nurses, a dental hygiene therapist a receptionist, a marketing consultant and a practice manager.

The practice has two treatment rooms on the first floor, a decontamination room for sterilising dental instruments and a general office. The building is shared with two other businesses who also occupy the first and second floor of the premises.

The practice is owned by an organisation 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 practice is run. The registered manager at Grin – Bridlington was the principal dentist.

On the day of inspection we collected 14 CQC comment cards filled in by patients. This information gave us a positive view of the practice.

During the inspection we spoke with two dentists, a dental nurse, the receptionist and the practice manager. We looked at practice policies and procedures and other records about how the service is managed.

The practice is open:

Monday – Thursday 9am – 5pm

Friday 9:30am – 5pm.

Our key findings were:

• The practice was clean and well maintained.
• The practice had infection control procedures which reflected published guidance.
• Staff knew how to deal with emergencies. Appropriate medicines and life-saving equipment were available.
• The practice had some 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 involved and supported and worked well as a team.
• The practice asked staff and patients for feedback about the services they provided.
• The practice dealt with complaints positively and efficiently.

There were areas where the provider could make improvements. They should:

• Review the practice’s arrangements for receiving and responding to patient safety alerts, recalls and rapid response reports issued from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and through the Central Alerting System (CAS), as well as from other relevant bodies, such as Public Health England (PHE).
• Review the practice fire risk assessment to ensure the other businesses located in the premises can exit the building. Implement relevant checks and evacuation plans.
• Review the need for a practice gas and electrical safety certificate.
• Review the practice’s protocols for the use of closed circuit television cameras (CCTV) taking into account guidelines published by the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO).
• Review the practice responsibilities to respond to the needs of patients with disabilities and the requirements of the Equality Act 2010.

Grin Bridlington has one dentist and accompanying staff. We were able to speak with the dentist, the dental nurse, the receptionist and three patients who attended appointments during our visit.

Patients who received treatment at Grin Bridlington told us they were very happy with the care and treatment they received and they had confidence in the staff. Patients also told us “The service is fabulous; I cannot fault it” and “Its fine, its lovely”.

Patients told us they were impressed with the efficient service, the staff treated them with dignity and respect and they felt the hygiene and cleanliness of the practice was good. Patients said “It’s very clean” and “Cleanliness is brilliant, it’s so clean when I go in”.

The staff said they worked together well as a team and that they felt they were supported by the dentist and the manager. They also said they were able to access training as part of their ongoing professional development when they needed to.

The dentist and staff had training about the safeguarding of children and vulnerable adults and could tell us who they would contact if they were concerned about any abuse. The patients stated they were confident that if they did have any concerns or complaints they would be able to raise them and that they would be dealt with appropriately. The provider had systems in place to assess and monitor the quality of service people received.