We carried out this announced inspection on 24 September 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

Rothwell Dental Care is in Leeds 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 two dentists, four dental nurses, a receptionist and a practice manager. The practice has two 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 Rothwell Dental Care is the principal dentist.

On the day of inspection, we collected 47 CQC comment cards filled in by patients.

During the inspection we spoke with two dentists, one dental nurse, the receptionist and the practice manager. We looked at practice policies and procedures and other records about how the service is managed.

The practice is open:

Monday and Tuesday from 8:30am to 6:00pm

Wednesday from 8:30am to 1:00pm

Thursday and Friday from 8:30am to 5:30pm

Our key findings were:

• The practice appeared clean and well maintained.
• The provider had infection control procedures which reflected published guidance.
• Staff knew how to deal with emergencies. Improvements could be made to the process for checking medical emergency equipment.
• The practice had systems to help them manage risk to patients and staff.
• The practice staff had suitable safeguarding processes and staff knew their responsibilities for safeguarding vulnerable adults and children.
• The provider 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 provider 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 provider dealt with complaints positively and efficiently.
• The provider had suitable information governance arrangements.

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

• Review the process for checking medical emergency equipment and the process for disposing of out of date equipment.
• Review the critical examination of the Orthopantomogram (OPG) machine and implement the recommendations.

We visited Rothwell Dental Care. We spoke with six people who used the service, the practice manager, the two dentists, three dental nurses and the receptionist. We reviewed six people’s records.

People we spoke with told us they were consulted about their treatment options which helped them make informed decisions about their treatment. People said they were satisfied with their treatment. One person said: “I wouldn’t want to go anywhere else.” Another person said: “I’m happy with the treatment. The staff are all great and I never have to wait long.”

We found that the dentist explained treatment and people were informed before they gave consent. The dentists told us they explained options, created treatment plans and obtained people’s written consent. They said that it was important that people made their own decisions once they had the information. Records showed that agreed treatment plans were in place.

People told us they thought the practice was clean. We saw the premises were suitable and clean, although we saw a dirty waste-bin lid in the decontamination room. The manager said this would be addressed immediately. Staff demonstrated decontamination procedures and we saw effective systems were in place to reduce the risk of infection.

We saw the complaints policy displayed in the waiting area and in the patient information guide. People said if they wished to complain they would speak to the dentists. Records showed that no complaints had been received.