We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 28 January 2016 to ask the practice the following key questions; Are services safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led?

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

Pedmorevalley Dental Practice is situated in a single storey building close to the centre of the Bestwood Park estate in north west Nottingham. The practice was registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in April 2011. The practice provides regulated dental services to patients mostly in the Bestwood Park area of Nottingham. The practice provides mainly NHS dental treatment. Services provided include general dentistry, dental hygiene, crowns and bridges, and root canal treatment.

The practice is open: Monday to Thursday: 9 am to 1 pm and 2 pm to 5:30 pm

Friday: 9 am to 1 pm and 1:30 pm to 3 pm. The practice is closed at the weekend. Access for urgent treatment outside of opening hours is by ringing the practice and following the instructions on the answerphone message. Alternatively NHS patients should ring the 111 telephone number.

The practice has three dentists, one of whom is the principal dentist and owner of the business. There are also three dental nurses who also work on reception, and one practice manager.

We received positive feedback from 32 patients about the services provided. This was through CQC comment cards left at the practice prior to the inspection and by speaking with patients in the practice. All of the feedback was positive.

Our key findings were:

• The practice had systems to record accidents, significant events and complaints, and any learning points were identified and shared with staff.
• The records showed that apologies had been given for any concerns or upset that patients had experienced.
• All staff had received whistle blowing training and were aware of these procedures and how to use them. All staff had access to the whistleblowing policy.
• Patients spoke positively about the dental service they received.
• Patients said they were treated with dignity and respect.
• Records showed there were sufficient numbers of suitably qualified staff to meet the needs of patients.
• All staff had been trained to deal with medical emergencies.
• There was the necessary equipment for staff to deal with medical emergencies.
• The practice followed the relevant guidance from the Department of Health's: ‘Health Technical Memorandum 01-05 (HTM 01-05) for infection control.
• Patients’ care and treatment was planned and delivered in consultation with the patient and recall intervals are in line with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) Patients said they were involved in making decisions about their treatment, and patient care records reflected this.
• Treatment options were identified and explored and discussed with patients.
• Patients’ confidentiality was maintained.

We spoke with three people who used the service. They told us that they were happy with the service they were provided with. One person told us, "I have been coming here for a long time, I trust my dentist." People confirmed that they were consulted about the treatment that they needed and made aware of the costs.

We observed how staff interacted with people, when they attended appointments or were on the telephone, people were approached in a respectful and professional manner.

We saw ten people's treatment records which showed that they were consulted about the care they were provided with and their treatment was planned and delivered in a way which met their needs.

Staff we spoke with were able to identify different forms of abuse and knew who to contact if they had concerns. This meant that people could be assured that staff were aware of safeguarding procedures to protect children and vulnerable adults.

We found that staff were provided with appropriate continuous professional development to meet the needs of the people who used the service.

There were systems in place to ensure that people were cared for and treated in a clean and hygienic environment.

The provider had systems in place to monitor and assess complaints which showed that they were taken seriously and were dealt with in line with their complaints procedure.