We carried out this announced inspection on 17 July 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

Sunshine Dental Limited is in Long Eaton in Nottinghamshire and provides private dental treatment mainly to adults.

There is level access into the practice, this is of benefit for people who use wheelchairs and those with pushchairs. There is a roadside car parking in the streets around the practice.

The practice has a dental laboratory attached to the dental practice on site run by the provider. This allows the provider to make dental appliances such as dentures, crowns and bridges reducing the time patients need to wait for them.

The dental team includes two dentists, one Dental Hygienist, one Clinical Dental Technician, two qualified dental nurses, two receptionists and one practice manager. The practice has two treatment rooms, both of which are located 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 Sunshine Dental Limited is the provider.

On the day of inspection, we received feedback from 51 patients.

During the inspection we spoke with one dentist, two dental nurses, the practice manager and the Clinical Dental Technician who is the provider. 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 5pm. The practice is open on Saturday by appointment and is closed on Sunday.

Our key findings were:

• The practice appeared clean and well maintained.
• The practice staff 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 staff 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.

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

• Review the practice's responsibilities to take into account the needs of patients with disabilities and to comply with the requirements of the Equality Act 2010. Particularly those patients who have a hearing loss.