Archived: Tooth Dental Care

Updated 13 August 2015

We carried out an announced, comprehensive inspection on 6 July 2015. The inspection took place over one day. The inspection was led by a CQC inspector. They were accompanied by a dentist specialist advisor.

During our inspection visit, we reviewed policy documents and staff records. We spoke with four members of staff, including the management team. We conducted a tour of the practice and looked at the storage arrangements for emergency medicines and equipment. We observed the dental nurse carrying out decontamination procedures of dental instruments and also observed staff interacting with patients in the waiting area.

We reviewed comment cards completed by patients and reviews posted on the NHS Choices website. Patients gave universally positive feedback about their experience at the practice.

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 therefore formed the framework for the areas we looked at during the inspection.

Updated 13 August 2015

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 6 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.

Tooth Dental Care is located in the London Borough of Lambeth and provides private dental services only. The practice consists of two treatment rooms and a decontamination room. The premises also has toilet facilities (separate for patients and staff), a reception/waiting area, administrative offices and a staff area.

The practice provides private dental services only. The practice treats both adults and children, but the practice manager reported that the majority of patients are adults. At present the practice generally operates only one surgery at a time, so the reception area was large, but with only two seats for patients waiting, with magazines for patients. The practice offers routine examinations and treatment, plus oral surgery from a consultant who attends the practice one day per week.

The practice has two partners (a dentist and the practice manager). It also employs two nurses (1.2 whole time equivalent [WTE]) and two receptionists (1.2 WTE). Further to this a hygienist attends the practice either one or two days a week (depending on demand for the service) and a surgeon attends one day a week for implants. The practice’s opening hours are 9am – 6pm on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, 11am – 7pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays and 10am – 4pm on Saturdays.

One of the partners who is a dentist is the registered manager. A registered manager is a person who is registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the practice is run.

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 6 July 2015 as part of our planned inspection programme. The inspection took place over one day and was carried out by a lead inspector and a dental specialist adviser.

32 people provided feedback about the service. Patients we spoke with, and those who completed comment cards, were positive about the care they received from the practice.

Our key findings were:

• Safe systems and processes were in place, including leads for safeguarding and infection control.

• Staff recruitment policies were appropriate and relevant checks were completed. New staff had been provided with a thorough induction into the practice.

• The practice had ensured that risk assessments were in place and that they were regularly reviewed.

• The clinical equipment in the practice was appropriately maintained. The practice appeared visibly clean throughout.

• The practice maintained appropriate dental care records and patients’ clinical details were updated suitably.

• Patients were provided with health promotion advice to promote good oral care.

• All feedback that we received from patients was positive; they reported that it was a caring and effective service.
• There were appropriate governance systems in place at the practice including a developed system of audit.