We carried out this announced inspection on 4 May 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

Hermitage Clinic is located in theLondon borough of Tower Hamlets and provides private treatment to patients of all ages.

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

The dental team includes one dentist and one dental nurse. The practice has two treatment rooms, decontamination room, reception/waiting area and staff room /office.

The practice is owned by an individual who is the principal dentist there. 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.

On the day of inspection we collected 12 CQC comment cards filled in by patients. This information gave us a positive view of the practice.

During the inspection we spoke with the principal 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: Monday-Friday 9.30-7.00 pm and every other Saturday 9.30-1.00 pm.

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.

We were not able to speak to people using the service because people were not available at the time of our inspection. We gathered evidence of people’s experiences of the service by feedback given directly to the practice and through the provider’s website. Samples of the feedback we looked at showed there is a usually high degree of satisfaction with this service.

People's needs were assessed and a detailed medical history was taken and discussed with each person prior to treatment. Care and treatment was planned and delivered in line with their individual treatment plan.

The practice and treatment areas were clean and hygienic. There were effective infection control procedures in place.

Staff received suitable training and were registered with their professional bodies. People told us they were confident the staff were trained and had the appropriate skills to do their job.

People were made aware of the complaints system. There was a complaints policy and procedure for the practice and this was available in the waiting room. There was also guidance on the practice's website on how to make a complaint.