We carried out this announced inspection on 15 May 2018 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

London Road Dental Practice is in Newark in north Nottinghamshire and provides mainly NHS dental treatment to both adults and children.

There is ramped access at the rear of the practice for people who use wheelchairs and those with pushchairs. Car parking spaces, including spaces for blue badge holders, are available in front of the practice.

The dental team includes five dentists, one dental hygiene therapist, six dental nurses, two of whom are trainees, one receptionist and one business manager. The practice has four treatment rooms, two on the ground floor.

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 received feedback from seven patients. This gave us a positive view of the practice.

During the inspection we spoke with three dentists, five dental nurses and two receptionists. We looked at practice policies and procedures and other records about how the service is managed.

The practice is open: Monday: 9am to 5pm, Tuesday: 9am to 6:30pm, Wednesday: 9am to 5pm, Thursday: 9am to 5pm and Friday: 9am to 4pm. The practice is closed on Saturday and Sunday.

Our key findings were:

• The practice appeared 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 practice was providing preventive care and supporting patients to ensure better oral health.
• The appointment system met patients’ needs.
• The practice had effective leadership and culture of continuous improvement.
• 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 practice had suitable information governance arrangements.

We spoke with two patients who were attending an appointment with their Dentist. They told us that they felt involved and respected by the staff employed at the service and felt they were fully involved in the decisions about their dental treatment and care.

Patients told us that they felt safe in the surgery and felt confident in reporting any issues of concern to the practices nurses or the Dentist. They also told us that they felt the staff employed at the practice were professional and suitably trained to perform their duties in a safe and competent manner.

Patients told us they thought all areas within the surgery were maintained to a good standard of cleanliness and hygiene.