Eastbrook Dental Practice

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 14 October 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.

Eastbrook Dental Practice is located in the London Borough of Greenwich. The practice is on the ground floor, with one treatment room and a toilet. There is also a reception and waiting area.

The practice provides NHS and private dental services and treats both adults and children. The practice offers a range of dental services including routine examinations and treatment.

The staff structure of the practice was comprised of the principal dentist, a dental nurse and a practice manager. The practice was open Monday from 10am-8pm, Wednesday from 9am-5.30pm and Friday from 8am to 3.00pm.

The principal dentist is registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) as an individual. 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.

The inspection took place over one day and was carried out by a CQC inspector and a dental specialist advisor.

We reviewed 19 Care Quality Commission (CQC) comment cards completed by patients and we spoke with two patients during our inspection. The feedback from the patients was positive in relation to the care they received from the practice. They were complimentary about the friendly and caring attitude of the staff.

Our key findings were:

• Patients’ needs were assessed and care was planned in line with best practice guidance, such as from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).

• Equipment, such as the air compressor, autoclave (steriliser), and X-ray equipment had all been checked for effectiveness and had been regularly serviced.

• Patients indicated that they felt they were listened to and that they received good care from a helpful and patient practice team.

• There was a complaints procedure available for patients.

• The practice had good governance arrangements and a clear management structure.

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

• Establish a system for recording the induction of agency staff.
• Review the storage of dental care records to ensure they are stored securely. Review the practice's policies and ensure they are up to date.
• Review its current systems to seek and act on patient feedback.
• Review the security of prescription pads in the practice and ensure there are systems in place to track and monitor their use.
• Review the practice’s protocols for auditing radiographs and ensure the reason for taking the X-ray  are documented giving due regard to the Ionising Radiation (Medical Exposure) Regulations (IR(ME)R) 2000.
• Review its audit protocols to ensure audits of various aspects of the service, such as radiography and dental care records are undertaken at regular intervals to help improve the quality of service. Practice should also ensure all audits have documented learning points and the resulting improvements can be demonstrated.