Archived: Hazelwood Dental Practice

We saw that infection control policies and procedures had been updated and tailored to the needs of the dental practice and review dates had been set. We saw that regular audits had been carried out by the provider to monitor infection control guidelines as detailed in Department of Health guidance on decontamination in dental care practices.

We observed that the premises, equipment and materials were clean and well maintained. This meant that patients and people employed by the provider were protected against the risks of acquiring an infection as appropriate and effective systems were in place to assess risk and to prevent, detect and control the spread of a health care associated infection.

We spoke with staff and saw records that showed care and treatment was planned and delivered in line with patients' individual treatment plans. Patients were recalled at intervals based on their individual needs. One patient said "I live in South London and come here because of the quality of care. The dentist is sympathetic, kind and gentle." All of the patients we spoke with said they would recommend the dentist.

Staff were aware of some patient safety and child protection policies and procedures but some had not attended training. Staff knew to report any allegations of abuse to the manager, the local authority and police as necessary.

The premises were clean and well maintained. We did not see that regular audits had been carried out by the provider to monitor infection control guidelines as detailed in Department of Health Technical Memorandum 01-05 (HTM 01-05). There was an increased the risk of acquiring an infection.

We saw that patients' personal records including medical records were stored securely and were kept up to date. Records were stored but not retained in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998.