The Care Quality Commission
  • Dentist
  • Dentist

Charlton Village Dental Practice

20 The Village, Charlton, London, SE7 8UD (020) 8856 0660

Provided and run by:
Greenwich & Bexley Emergency Dental Service Ltd

All Inspections

10 October 2019

During a routine inspection

We carried out this unannounced inspection on 10 October 2019 under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. We planned the inspection to check whether the registered provider was meeting the legal requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated regulations. The inspection was led by a CQC inspector who was supported by a specialist dental adviser.

To get to the heart of patients’ experiences of care and treatment, we always ask the following five questions:

• Is it safe?

• Is it effective?

• Is it caring?

• Is it responsive to people’s needs?

• Is it well-led?

These questions form the framework for the areas we look at during the inspection.

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.

Background

Charlton Village Dental Practice is in London Borough of Greenwich and provides NHS and private dental treatment to adults and children. The provider also runs a 111 referral clinic on Saturday and Sunday.

There is level access for people who use wheelchairs and those with pushchairs.

The dental team includes one principal dentist, four associate dentists (one of whom covered the emergency 111 services on one day and provided hygiene services on another day), five dental nurses, one trainee dental nurse, one dental hygienist, one practice manager and two receptionists. The practice has four treatment rooms.

The practice is owned by a company 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 is the practice manager.

On the day of inspection, we spoke with three patients.

During the inspection we spoke with two dentists, two 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:

Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 8:00am to 17:00pm.

Tuesday from 8:00am to 19:00pm.

Saturday and Sunday (111 referrals) from 10:00am to 3:00pm.

Our key findings were:

  • The practice appeared clean and well maintained.
  • The provider had infection control procedures which reflected published guidance.
  • Staff knew how to deal with emergencies. Appropriate medicines and life-saving equipment were available.
  • The provider had systems to help them manage risk to patients and staff.
  • The provider had suitable safeguarding processes and staff knew their responsibilities for safeguarding vulnerable adults and children.
  • The provider had thorough 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.
  • Staff provided preventive care and supported patients to ensure better oral health.
  • The appointment system took account of patients’ needs.
  • The provider had effective leadership and culture of continuous improvement.
  • Staff felt involved and supported and worked well as a team.
  • The provider asked staff and patients for feedback about the services they provided.
  • The provider dealt with complaints positively and efficiently.
  • The provider had suitable information governance arrangements.

We identified an area of notable practice.

  • Staff were clear on the importance of improving patient experience by responding to the needs of the local population. The provider had created a bespoke clinic focussing on oral health issues affecting their patients and encouraged and supported them in making better lifestyle choices.

There were areas where the provider could make improvements. They should:

  • Improve the practice's systems for assessing, monitoring and mitigating the various risks arising from the undertaking of the regulated activities. In particular, risk assessing 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.

26 January 2016

During a routine inspection

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 26 January 2016 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

Background

Charlton Village Dental Practice is located in the London Borough of Greenwich and provides predominantly NHS dental services. The demographics of the practice were mixed, serving patients from a range of social and ethnic backgrounds.

The practice staffing consists of five dentists, three dental nurses, a practice manager and a receptionist.

The practice is open from 8.00am to 5.00pm on Monday, Thursday and Fridays; 8.00am to 7.00pm on Tuesdays; 8.00am to 1.30pm on Wednesdays and 9.30am to 12.15pm on Saturday and Sundays. The practice is set on the ground floor and facilities include two consultation rooms, a reception and waiting area, decontamination room, staff room/administration office. The premises were wheelchair accessible and toilets were also wheelchair accessible.

One of the owners of the practice is the registered manager. A registered manager is a person who is registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. 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 received 23 completed Care Quality Commission comment cards and spoke with three patients on the day of the inspection. All the feedback we received from patients was very positive. Patients feedback indicated that staff were professional, caring and gave good explanations. They described the premises as being clean and tidy.

Our key findings were:

  • There was appropriate equipment for staff to undertake their duties, and equipment was well maintained.
  • The provider had emergency medicines and equipment in line with current guidelines for management of medical emergencies in dental practice.
  • Dental instruments were decontaminated suitably.
  • Appropriate pre-employment checks were carried out before staff commenced work in the practice.
  • Patients’ needs were assessed and care and treatment was delivered in line with published guidance, such as from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.
  • All clinical staff were up to date with their continuing professional development (CPD).
  • Appropriate systems were in place to safeguard patients from abuse.
  • Patients were involved in their care and treatment planning so they could make informed decisions.
  • Governance arrangements were in place for the smooth running of the practice; the practice did not have a structured plan in place to audit quality and the completed audits were not detailed or comprehensive.

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

  • Review the process for updating and reviewing practice policies ensuring that policies are fit for purpose
  • Review its audit protocols to document, where appropriate, the learning points that are shared with all relevant staff and ensure that the resulting improvements can be demonstrated as part of the audit process.
  • Review staff awareness of the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005 and ensure all staff are aware of their responsibilities under the Act as it relates to their role.

31 January 2013

During a routine inspection

We were able to speak to one patient who had been using the practice for 2 years. She told us that the dentist explained her treatment very well and she always felt well informed. Her dentist also explained fees and exemption from charges to her. She used the words "caring", and "not rushed" in describing her treatment and time in the surgery. She confirmed that the dentist and staff always wore gloves, goggles and masks and she was also given protective glasses to wear. She was impressed by the tidiness and cleanliness in the practice and would be happy to recommend the service. We were able to see support for these opinions when we looked at some responses to a patient satisfaction survey which were very complimentary.