We carried out this announced inspection on 6 June 2017 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.

We told the NHS England area team and Healthwatch that we were inspecting the practice. They provided information about the practice which we took into account.

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

Tickhill Dental and Implant Centre is in Tickhill, Doncaster and provides NHS and private treatment to patients of all ages.

There is access for people who use wheelchairs and pushchairs. Car parking spaces are available near the practice.

The dental team includes two dentists, three dental nurses, one dental hygiene therapist and a practice manager. The practice has two treatment rooms.

The practice is owned by an individual who is the principal dentist there. They have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated regulations about how the practice is run.

On the day of inspection we collected 49 CQC comment cards filled in by patients and spoke with two other patients. This information gave us a positive view of the practice.

During the inspection we spoke with one dentist, two dental nurses 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 9.00am – 5.30pm

Wednesday, Thursday and Friday 9.00am – 5.30pm

Tuesday 9.00am – 7.00pm

Our key findings were:

• The practice was clean and well maintained.
• The practice had infection control procedures which reflected published guidance.
• 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 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 appointment system met patients’ needs.
• The practice had effective leadership. Staff felt involved 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.
• Procedures for the management of emergency medicines and equipment required improvement.
• Staff awareness of the use of emergency equipment was not embedded
• The practice had appropriate staff recruitment procedures but the process for reviewing staff background checks required minor improvement.

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

• Review staff training and the availability of medicines and equipment to manage medical emergencies taking into account guidelines issued by the British National Formulary, Resuscitation Council (UK) and the General Dental Council (GDC) standards for the dental team. 
• Review the practice's policy on the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations 2002 to ensure a risk assessment is undertaken and the products are stored securely.
• Review the practice's recruitment procedures to ensure that appropriate background checks are completed or risk assessed.