Crofton Park Dental Practice

Updated 7 January 2016

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the practice was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

The inspection took place on the 26 October 2015 and was undertaken by a CQC inspector and a dental specialist adviser. Prior to the inspection we reviewed information submitted by the provider and information available on NHS Choices website.

During our inspection visit we spoke with members of staff which included the dentists, dental nurses, trainee dental nurse and receptionist. We reviewed policy documents, staff records and CQC comment cards completed by patients.

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 therefore formed the framework for the areas we looked at during the inspection.

Updated 7 January 2016

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 26 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

Background

Crofton Park Dental Practice is located in the London Borough of Lewisham and provides both NHS and private dental services to patients. The demographics of the practice are diverse, serving patients from a range of social and ethnic backgrounds.

The practice is open Monday to Fridays generally from 8.30am to 5.00pm, with two evenings a week where they open until 7.00pm and on Saturdays from 9.00am to 1.00pm. The practice is set out over two levels and facilities include three consultation rooms (two on the ground floor and one on the first), reception and waiting area, decontamination room, staff room/ administration office. The premises are not wheelchair accessible however the practice has an agreement in place with local dental surgeries, and if required can refer to them patients who might have restricted mobility.

We spoke with patients on the day of the inspection and also received 11 completed Care Quality Commission comment cards. Patients were positive about the service and gave good feedback. They told us that staff were friendly and caring and described the dentists as gentle. Patients gave examples of how staff treated them with dignity and respect and made them feel comfortable. Information was given to them in formats easy for them to understand and staff explained things clearly so they understood their care and treatment.

The principal dentist 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.

Our key findings were:

• Patients’ needs were assessed and care was planned in line with current guidance.
• Patients were involved in their care and treatment planning and felt able to make informed decisions.
• There were effective processes in place to reduce and minimise the risk and spread of infection.
• There were appropriate equipment and emergency drugs to enable the practice to respond to medical emergencies. Staff knew where equipment was stored.
• All clinical staff were up to date with their continuing professional development.
• There was appropriate equipment for staff to undertake their duties, and equipment was serviced and maintained appropriately.
• Staff had access to appropriate development opportunities.
• Appropriate governance arrangements were in place to facilitate the smooth running of the service, including a programme of audits for continuous improvements.

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

• Review availability of equipment to manage medical emergencies giving due regard to guidelines issued by the Resuscitation Council (UK), and the General Dental Council (GDC) standards for the dental team.