We carried out this announced inspection on 30 October 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

Neasham Road Dental Practice is in Darlington and provides NHS and private treatment to adults and children.

There is level access for people who use wheelchairs and those with pushchairs. Car parking spaces are available near the practice.

The dental team includes three principal dentists, an associate dentist, the practice manager, three dental nurses and a receptionist. The practice has three treatment rooms.

The practice is owned by a partnership 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 Neasham Road Dental Practice is one of the principal dentists.

On the day of inspection, we collected two CQC comment cards filled in by patients.

During the inspection we spoke with three dentists, the practice manager, the receptionist and two dental nurses, the support lead and the practice administrator. We looked at practice policies and procedures and other records about how the service is managed.

The practice is open:

Monday to Friday – 9am to 5.30pm.

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 risks. Recommended actions from the practice’s Legionella and radiation risk assessments had not been completed.
• The practice had suitable safeguarding processes and staff knew their responsibilities for safeguarding adults and children.
• The practice had staff recruitment procedures. The processes for undertaking Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks and for monitoring immunisation status of staff required reviewing.
• Staff treated patients with dignity and respect and took care to protect their privacy and personal information. The practice had closed-circuit television on the premises; there was no policy or data protection impact assessment in place.
• 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.

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

• Review the practice's recruitment policy and procedures to ensure accurate, complete and detailed records are maintained for all staff.
• Review the practice’s risk management systems to ensure all recommended actions identified by risk assessments are completed.
• Review the practice’s protocols for the use of closed circuit television cameras taking into account the guidelines published by the Information Commissioner's Office.