We carried out this announced inspection on 10 December 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

{My}Dentist, Cornhill, Banbury is in Banbury and provides NHS and private treatment to patients of all ages.

There is level access for people who use wheelchairs and those with pushchairs. Car parking spaces, including spaces for disabled person’s blue badge holders, are available at the rear of the practice.

The dental team includes five dentists, two specialist orthodontists, seven dental nurses, two trainee dental nurses, two dental hygienists, one dental therapist one orthodontic therapist, four receptionists and a practice manager. The practice has eight treatment rooms.

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 {My}Dentist is the practice manager.

On the day of our inspection we collected 102 CQC comment cards filled in by patients and obtained the views of 17 patients.

During the inspection we spoke with two dentists, one dental nurses, one receptionist and the practice manager and obtained the views of a further six staff.

We looked at practice policies and procedures and other records about how the service is managed. The practice is open Monday to Thursday from 8am to 8pm and Friday and Saturday from 8am to 5pm.

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 identified areas of notable practice:

Positive oral health outreach events were carried out to reach different populations groups in the local community:

• Staff visited a local primary school and engaged pupils in oral health related activities which included, a visit to the provider’s mobile dental bus to experience what a dental surgery looked like, how to carry out effective teeth brushing and what constituted healthy eating.

• Staff visited a local college to teach students and staff how to recognise the signs of oral cancer. All the students and staff who attended were also screened.

• We saw advertising for a dental day aimed at people who were at risk. For example, those who were drug and alcohol dependent and homeless people. Information seen advised people the practice would be closed during this time to provide them with a safe environment where any dental treatment required would be available on the day. For example, fillings and extractions.

This is notable practice because of the proactive approach to making dental care accessible and to improving dental health in the community.

There were areas where the provider could make improvements. They should:

• Review the practice's current performance review systems and have an effective process established for the on-going assessment and supervision of all staff. Namely appraising orthodontic staff.