Archived: Longford Dental Practice

We asked about the process for accepting a new patient into the practice. We were shown the documents completed for each patient. These included a health assessment and medical history that was updated at each visit. There was a system in place for alerting the dentist to any medical conditions that may affect a patient's treatment.

Dental staff were following best practice guidelines set by the Department of Health instructing them how to decontaminate dental instruments so that they were properly cleaned between patients.

People we spoke with complimented dental staff who worked at the practice. People told us staff were friendly and helpful. One person told us, "The dentist's great." Another person said, "The receptionist is very nice."

Staff files showed that two dental nurses had not received the appropriate checks to make sure they were safe to work with vulnerable people. The provider might like to note that staff who have not had these checks may pose a risk to vulnerable people.

We saw the practice had adequate procedures in place to monitor the quality of the service. A number of regular audits were conducted by the practice. This was to ensure the practice operated safely and efficiently.