We carried out this announced inspection on 1 May 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

Shine Dental Care is in the Forest Town area of Mansfield and provides private dental 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 blue badge holders, are available in front of the practice.

The dental team includes five dentists, one dental hygienist, two dental hygiene therapists, nine qualified dental nurses, one trainee dental nurse, three apprentice dental nurses, three receptionists, three practice managers and a part-time self-employed facial aesthetics practitioner. The practice has four treatment rooms, two of which are situated on the ground floor.

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 Shine Dental Care is the practice manager.

On the day of inspection we received feedback from 18 patients. This gave us a positive view of the practice.

During the inspection we spoke with three dentists, two dental nurses, two receptionists and three practice managers. We looked at practice policies and procedures and other records about how the service is managed.

The practice is open: Monday: 8am to 7pm, Tuesday: 8am to 7pm, Wednesday: 8am to 7pm, Thursday: 8am to 7pm, Friday: 8am to 6pm and most Saturdays: 8am to 4pm. The practice is closed on Sunday.

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 spoke with two patients attending for appointments when we visited. We also spoke with the practice manager, staff on reception, a trainee dental nurse, two other nurses and two dentists.

Patients were given appropriate information and support. One patient told us, "The dentist always goes through things with me and explains the options." In addition to photographs and x-ray images of their teeth, there were one minute videos available to help patients understand the advice being given about treatment.

One patient said, "I know I am getting good quality treatment and care." We found that the dentists had systems in place to bring all information together to assist in forming the treatment plan and measures were in place to meet patient's emergency health needs as required.

Patients told us they always found the premises very clean. We saw that procedures were in place to monitor cleaning and ensure tasks were completed. With regard to the equipment used we found that care was taken to ensure patients safety and welfare.

The patients we spoke with were very complimentary about the staff. They said, "They're all very friendly and prepared to spend more time with you." and "All the staff are very nice with the children and encourage them to ask questions." We found that the staff received a great deal of training and support.

The provider was continuously monitoring the quality of the service and patients were encouraged to complete feedback forms.