We carried out this announced inspection on 19 June 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

Gunilla Assmundson is based in Westminster and provides private treatment to patients of all ages.

There is access for people who use wheelchairs and those with pushchairs.

The dental team includes a dentist and a dental nurse.

The practice 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 practice is run. The registered manager at Gunilla Assmundson was the principal dentist.

On the day of inspection we collected 23 CQC comment cards filled in by patients. This information gave us a positive view of the practice.

During the inspection we spoke with the dentist and the dental nurse. We looked at practice policies and procedures and other records about how the service is managed.

The practice is open: 8.30 -6.00pm Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday and closed on Wednesday’s.

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 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.

The person we spoke with was positive about their experiences of the practice. They said that their family was very satisfied and they had recommended the service to their friends. They said the practice was clean but the most important thing to them was that they trusted the dentist to provide treatment and care that was necessary and right for them. They had enough information to enable them to make a choice and found Mrs Assmundson was clear and open about what was required. In addition we saw the letters sent to the practice with thanks and compliments.

There were suitable processes for staff training and professional development. Staff were supported by the practice’s systems and policies. Each person was assessed for their suitability prior to any treatment; they were involved in planning their treatment and could ask as many questions as they wished. There were effective systems in place to reduce the risk and spread of infection. Staff had been trained in infection control and for emergency situations.

The practice had systems to review and monitor the quality and safety of the service provided. These included risk assessments and audits.