We carried out this announced inspection on 29 November 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 Healthwatch that we were inspecting the practice. They did not provide any information.

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

White Pearl Dental Practice Exmouth is in Exmouth and provides private treatment to mainly adult patients.

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

The dental team consists of the company owners (the dentist and the practice manager). They employ no other staff. The practice has one treatment room.

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 White Pearl Dental Practice Exmouth was the practice manager.

On the day of inspection we collected 18 CQC comment cards filled in by patients. This information gave us a positive view of the practice.

During the inspection we spoke with the dentist and the practice manager. We looked at practice policies and procedures and other records about how the service is managed.

The practice operates a flexible opening hours system, based on patient demand. Evening and Saturday appointments are available on request.

Our key findings were:

• The practice was clean and well maintained.
• The practice had infection control procedures which reflected published guidance.
• The practice owners knew how to deal with emergencies. Appropriate medicines and life-saving equipment were available.
• The practice owners had systems to help them manage risk.
• The practice owners had suitable safeguarding processes and knew their responsibilities for safeguarding adults and children.
• The practice owners did not employ additional staff.
• The dentist provided patients’ care and treatment broadly in line with current guidelines.
• The practice owners treated patients with dignity and respect.
• The appointment system met patients’ needs.
• The practice asked patients for feedback about the services they provided.
• The practice had not received any complaints.

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

• Review the practice's protocols for completion of dental care records taking into account guidance provided by the Faculty of General Dental Practice regarding clinical examinations and record keeping.

• Review the current staffing arrangements to ensure the dentist is adequately supported by a trained member of the dental team when treating patients in a dental setting, taking into account the guidance issued by the General Dental Council.

• Review the storage of electronic dental care records to ensure they are stored securely.

• Review the practice's current audit protocols to ensure audits of key aspects of service delivery are undertaken at regular intervals and where applicable learning points are documented.

White Pearl Dental Practice is a small private dental practice. The practice provides dental care to 314 patients. The practice was based entirely on the ground floor and had level access. The practice contained a waiting room, a treatment room, staff room and two patient toilets including a disabled toilet with wheelchair access.

We spoke with two patients during this visit who were attending for examination or treatment. The feedback was entirely positive. One patient told us the dental practice was “very good. I’m really pleased with it. My mum is thinking of moving here due to the excellent service.” Another patient said they were ”very happy here”.

We looked at the comments received from patients, including a number of thank you cards. All of the patients were very satisfied with the service. One patient said “Thank you so much for your patience, expertise and lovely care”.

We saw that some of the emergency equipment and medication required to be held at the practice was not present. When we brought this to the practice manager’s attention we were assured that the required equipment would be ordered immediately.