Archived: Dental Surgery

The provider had undertaken all outstanding staff recruitment checks including: written references, professional indemnity cover and eligibility to work in the UK. Most checks had been completed satisfactorily; however one dentist's criminal records disclosure application was still in progress at the time of our inspection. As this check had not been completed at the time of our inspection we were not able to assess if this individual was suitable to be employed in the practice.

We found that patients understood the care and treatment choices available to them. Patient's health care needs were assessed and treatment plans developed and delivered in line with their individual treatment plan. People were cared for in a clean, hygienic environment. However, there was a risk of cross infection as the decontamination of instruments process was undertaken in the treatment room, in the same area x-rays were developed and waste was segregated and stored in sharp boxes. The provider had not completed appropriate recruitment checks for two dentists and one dental nurse before they began work. The provider had an effective system in place to regularly assess and monitor the quality of service that patients receive.