Updated 2 August 2017
Background
Crown Dental practice is in Surrey and provides private treatment to patients of all ages.
There is access for people who use wheelchairs and access for people who have pushchairs. Public Car parking spaces, including for patients with disabled badges, are available near the practice.
The dental team includes 4 dentists, 2 hygenests, 1 dental nurse, 2 trainee dental nurses, 2 receptionists and a practice manager. The practice has three treatment rooms, two on an upper floor via a staircase and one at ground level.
The practice is owned by Crown Dental Practice Limited and as a condition of registration must have a person registered with the Care Quality Commission as the registered manager. Registered managers 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 registered manager at Crown Dental Practice Limited of practice was the principal dentist.
On the day of inspection we collected 6 CQC comment cards filled in by patients. This information gave us a positive view of the practice.
During the inspection we spoke with the principal dentist, one other dentist, one dental nurse, one trainee dental nurses and the practice manager. We looked at practice policies and procedures and other records about how the service is managed.
The practice is open: from 8.15 am to 17.15 pm Monday to Friday. However we were advised that the practice can be flexible for private patients.
Our key findings were:
- The practice appeared clean and well maintained.
- The practice had infection control procedures which reflected published guidance.
- Staff knew how to deal with emergencies. Appropriate medicines and life-saving equipment were available.
- The practice had systems to help them manage risk.
- The practice had suitable safeguarding processes and staff knew their responsibilities for safeguarding adults and children.
- The practice had staff recruitment procedures.
- The clinical staff provided patients’ care and treatment in line with current guidelines.
- Staff treated patients with dignity and respect and took care to protect their privacy and personal information.
- The appointment system met patients’ needs.
- The practice had effective leadership. Staff felt involved and supported and worked well as a team.
- The practice asked staff and patients for feedback about the services they provided.
- The practice dealt with complaints positively and efficiently.
.There were areas where the provider could make improvements. They should:
- Review the practice’s protocols for the use of rubber dam for root canal treatment taking into account guidelines issued by the British Endodontic Society.
- Review the practice’s arrangements for receiving and responding to patient safety alerts, recalls and rapid response reports issued from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and through the Central Alerting System (CAS), as well as from other relevant bodies such as, Public Health England (PHE)
- Review the current staffing arrangements to ensure all dental care professionals are adequately supported by a trained member of the dental team when treating patients in a dental setting taking into account the guidance issued by the General Dental Council.
- Review staff training to ensure that all of the staff had undergone relevant training, to an appropriate level, in the safeguarding of children and vulnerable adults.
- Review the protocols and procedures to ensure staff are up to date with their mandatory training and their Continuing Professional Development (CPD)
- Review the practice's recruitment policy and procedures are suitable and the recruitment arrangements are in line with Schedule 3 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 to ensure necessary employment checks are in place for all staff and the required specified information in respect of persons employed by the practice is held.
- Review the practice’s policies to ensure all documents are providing the latest requirements and guidance.
- Review its responsibilities to the needs of people with a disability, including those with hearing difficulties and the requirements of the Equality Act 2010.
- Review availability of an interpreter services for patients who do not speak English as a first language.
- Review the practice's protocols for completion of dental care records taking into account guidance provided by the Faculty of General Dental Practice regarding clinical examinations and record keeping.
- Review the practice’s audit protocols to ensure audits of various aspects of the service, such as radiography and patients notes are undertaken at regular intervals to help improve the quality of service. Practice should also ensure, that where appropriate audits have documented learning points and the resulting improvements can be demonstrated.