Background

Macrocare Dental Health is a dental practice providing private and NHS treatment for both adults and children. The practice is based in a bespoke building in Woking town centre which is very close to the train station. The practice has three dental treatment rooms; though currently the practice is only using one room. There is a separate decontamination facility used for cleaning, sterilising and packing dental instruments. The practice is accessible to wheelchair users, prams and patients with limited mobility. The practice employs one dentist, one dental nurse, one receptionist and one practice manager. The practice’s opening hours are between 9am and 6pm Monday to Friday. There are arrangements in place to ensure patients receive urgent medical assistance when the practice is closed. This is provided by the principle dentist who is the practice owner. The practice owner is registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) as an individual. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the practice is run.We obtained the views of 41 patients from comment cards and spoke with three patients on the day of our inspection.

Our key findings were:

• We found that the practice ethos was to provide patient centred dental care in a relaxed and friendly environment.

• Leadership was provided by the principle dentist who was the practice owner.

• Staff had been trained to handle emergencies and appropriate medicines and life-saving equipment was readily available in accordance with current guidelines.

• The practice appeared clean and well maintained.

• There was appropriate equipment for staff to undertake their duties, and equipment was well maintained.

• Infection control procedures were of a high standard and the practice followed published guidance.

• The practice owner acted as the safeguarding lead with effective processes for safeguarding adults and children living in vulnerable circumstances.

• There was a process for the reporting and shared learning when untoward incidents occurred in the practice.

• Dentists provided dental care in accordance with current professional and National Institute for Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines.

• The service was aware of the needs of the local population and took these into account in how the practice was run.

• Patients could access treatment and urgent and emergency care when required.

• Staff received training appropriate to their roles and were supported in their continued professional development (CPD) by the practice owner.

• Staff we spoke with felt very well supported by the practice owner and were committed to providing a quality service to their patients.

• Feedback from 41 completed Care Quality Commission (CQC) comment cards gave us a positive picture of a friendly, caring, professional and high quality service.

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There were areas where the provider could make improvements and should:

• Review the processes and procedures relating to interpreter services for patients whose first language is not English.

We spoke with one patient after they had received treatment on the day of our visit. No other patient was available to speak with us during the time of our visit. The patient was very happy overall with the treatment that their family had received over the time they had been attending the practice. They told us, "Wouldn't go anywhere else". They felt that their decisions and opinions were respected by the staff and that their privacy and confidentiality had been maintained.

We found that patients were given appropriate information about their treatment. Information was collected and updated about patient's medical conditions to ensure patients remained safe when being treated. Equipment was available and staff trained to deal with medical and other foreseeable emergencies. There were effective systems in place to reduce the risk and spread of infection. There was a commitment by all staff to remaining appropriately trained. Patient records were compiled and maintained adequately and stored securely.