We carried out this announced inspection on 12 October 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

Leigh Dental Centre is in Leigh On Sea, and provides NHS (20%) and private (80%) treatment to patients of all ages.

There is concrete ramp access for people who use wheelchairs and pushchairs. Car parking spaces for patients with disabled badges are available at the front of the practice.

The dental team includes six dentists, five dental nurses, three dental hygienists, two receptionists and one practice manager. The practice has four treatment rooms which are all situated on the ground floor.

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 Leigh Dental Centre was the principal dentist.

On the day of inspection we collected 48 CQC comment cards filled in by patients and spoke with five other patients. This information gave us a wholly positive view of the practice. Two cards also commented on difficulties, one regarding getting an appointment outside of working hours and another card was unhappy with a delayed diagnosis. We discussed these concerns with the practice manager.

During the inspection we spoke with one dentist, two dental nurses, one dental hygienist, one 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, Tuesday and Wednesday 8am to 5:30pm. Thursday: 8am to 7:30pm, Friday: 8am to 2:00pm and Saturday: 9am to 2:00pm

Our key findings were:

• Strong and effective leadership was provided by the principal dentist and an empowered practice manager.
• The practice was visibly clean and well maintained.
• The practice had well organised systems to assess and manage infection prevention and control 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 an established process for reporting and recording significant events and accidents to ensure they investigated these and took remedial action.
• 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 practice asked staff and patients for feedback about the services they provided. Patients were very happy with the quality of their treatment and the staff who delivered it.
• The practice dealt with complaints positively and efficiently. This included a monthly review of all verbal complaints and comments.
• The appointment system met patients’ needs. Patients could access treatment and urgent and emergency care when required.
• Staff had received training appropriate to their roles and were supported in their continued professional development by the principal dentist and practice manager.
• The practice had effective leadership. Staff felt involved and supported and worked well as a team.