We carried out a comprehensive inspection at York Dental Care on 12 May 2015.

The practice provides mainly primary dental services to NHS patients (adults and children). In addition a range of private treatments are available. The practice is open Tuesday to Friday between the hours of 9am and 5pm. On Monday the opening hours are 9am to 6pm.

York Dental Care has two dentists one of whom is the registered provider and manager for the service. The registered manager and provider is the person who is registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and who is legally responsible for making sure the practice meets the requirements of the Health and Social Care Act and associated Regulations about how the practice is run.

The two dentists are supported by a registered dental nurse and three trainee dental nurses one of whom is also the receptionist. At the time of our inspection there was one dentist on duty.

We spoke with two patients who used the service on the day of our inspection and reviewed 11 CQC comment cards that had been completed by patients prior to the inspection. The patients we spoke with were very complimentary about the service. They told us they found the staff to be professional and welcoming and felt they were treated with respect. The comments on the CQC comment cards were very positive about the staff, the facilities and services provided. Patients were particularly complimentary about the extensive upgrading of the ground floor which had recently been undertaken and had improved the waiting and reception area.

During the inspection we toured the premises and spoke with staff. This included the dentist on duty and two trainee dental nurses. To assess the quality of care provided by the practice, we looked at practice policies and protocols and other records.

The provider was providing care which was safe, effective, caring, responsive and well led and the regulations were being met.

Our key findings were as follows:

• There were systems in place for staff to report accidents and incidents. There were sufficient staff on duty to deliver the service. There was enough equipment available for staff to undertake their duties and we saw the premises were maintained to a good standard and clean and tidy.

• Patient’s needs were assessed and care was planned and delivered in line with current guidance. We were told that this included the promotion of good oral health. We saw evidence staff had received training appropriate to their roles and training needs were identified and planned through the appraisal process. Staff had been trained to handle emergencies and appropriate medicines were available.

• The patients we spoke with and all the comment cards we reviewed indicated that patients were consistently treated with kindness and respect by staff. It was reported that communication with patients and their families was very good with clear explanations being given about proposed treatments, benefits, options, risks involved and costs. Patients reported good access to the practice with emergency appointments available the same day.

• The practice actively sought feedback from staff and patients about the service they provided and implemented actions to improve the practice. There was a range of clinical and non-clinical audits to monitor the quality of the service.

• The practice was well led and staff on duty told us they felt supported by the dentists and that they felt involved and worked as a team. Staff reported that patients were at the heart of the practice. This included the promotion of good oral health. Staff had received training appropriate to their roles and there was an effective appraisal system in place.

There were also areas where the provider could make improvements and should:

• Consider providing all staff with training and guidance in relation to the Mental Capacity Act 2005.
• Ensure all audits are clearly dated and consider carrying out a second cycle of audits to demonstrate improvement.
• Ensure that all policies are clearly dated to show the date of completion and review.

People told us they were very satisfied with the care and treatment provided at York Dental Care. One person said, “Everything is very good, the dentist is always very helpful” and another person commented, “I’m very pleased and always satisfied with the service I receive”.

People spoken with confirmed they were involved in their treatment plan and said they had discussed various treatment options with their dentist. People also said they were treated with respect and their queries were answered in a sensitive and understanding manner.

Staff had an understanding of safeguarding children and vulnerable adults procedures and knew who to contact in the event of a concern.

People were treated in a clean environment and comprehensive arrangements were in place for the safe decontamination of reusable instruments and equipment.

People were aware how they could raise any concerns and suitable arrangements were in place to respond to any complaints. None of the people spoken with had any concerns about the service.