We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 14th July 2015 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

Southsea Dental provides family dental care to both adults and children mainly under NHS regulations with a small amount of care being provided under private contract.

The practice is situated in a converted domestic property. The practice provides services on the ground floor. The practice had two dental treatment rooms and a separate decontamination room for cleaning, sterilising and packing dental instruments. The practice is part of the provider brand Southern Dental Limited

The practice manager is registered with the Care Quality Commission as the registered manager. They were legally responsible for making sure the practice meets the regulations from the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 relating to the quality and safety of care.

The practice had two dentists who work throughout the normal working week, two dental nurses and two part-time dental hygiene-therapists. The practice displayed its opening hours in their premises, in the practice information leaflet and on the practice website. Opening hours were Monday to Thursday from 9.00am until 5.00pm and on Friday from 9am until 6pm, excluding bank holidays.

Before the inspection we sent Care Quality Commission comment cards to the practice for patients to complete to tell us about their experience of the practice. We collected four completed cards and spoke with five patients. These provided a positive view of the service the practice provides.

Our key findings were:

• Staff had been trained to handle emergencies and appropriate medicines and life-saving equipment was readily available in accordance with current guidelines.

• The practice was visibly clean.

• All equipment used in the practice was maintained in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.

• Infection control procedures were robust and the practice followed the guidance in the Healthcare Technical Memorandum HTM 01-05.

• Patients’ needs were assessed and care was planned and delivered in line with current professional guidelines

• The practice had effective safeguarding processes in place and staff understood their responsibilities for safeguarding adults and children living in vulnerable circumstances.

• Staff reported incidents and kept records of these which the practice used for shared learning.

• The practice had enough staff to deliver the service.

• The practice placed an emphasis on the promotion of good oral health and provided regular oral health instruction to patients.

• Staff had received training appropriate to their roles and were supported in their continued professional development (CPD).

During our inspection we spoke to six people who used the service. We spoke to the registered manager, the provider area manager, a receptionist, a dentist and a dental nurse.

People told us they were very happy with the service they received. They told us they had enough information to make a decision about their treatment. They were given options to support them in making informed decisions on what treatment they received.

We were told that the dentist fully explained any treatment they were being offered and that they were encouraged to ask questions about their treatment. People said they were provided with clear information about the cost of the different treatments.

We were told that all the staff were very friendly, professional and helpful. People said that appointments were flexible to meet their needs and if they needed urgent dental advice or care that the service was extremely responsive to their needs.

We were told by people who used the service that they felt safe and that the dentist and staff made them feel at ease and very welcomed. We saw that the service provided a wide range of information for people on dental and other health issues.

People we spoke with told us that the premises were always clean.

People told us they had not needed to make any complaints and so had not sought information on this. We saw that the service had a robust complaints procedure which was clearly provided for people to see.