Honor Oak Dental Surgery

We carried out this announced inspection on 11 April 2018 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 this practice was providing safe care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Are services effective?

We found this practice was providing effective care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Are services caring?

We found this practice was providing caring services in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Are services responsive?

We found this practice was providing responsive care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Are services well-led?

We found this practice was providing well-led care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Background

Honor Oak Dental Surgery is in the London Borough of Lewisham and provides private treatment to patients of all ages.

There is access for people who use wheelchairs and those with pushchairs via a portable ramp. Car parking spaces, including for blue badge holders are available off street near the practice.

The dental team includes two dentists, two dental technicians, a dental nurse, a dental nurse/technician and a practice manager. The practice has one treatment room.

The practice is owned by an individual who is the head technician there. They have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated regulations about how the practice is run.

On the day of inspection we collected 15 CQC comment cards filled in by patients.

During the inspection we spoke with a dentist, a dental nurse, a dental technician 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 to Friday 9.00am – 6.00pm

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 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.
• The practice was providing preventive care and supporting patients to ensure better oral health.
• The appointment system met patients’ needs.
• The practice had effective leadership and a culture of continuous improvement.
• Staff felt involved and supported and worked well as a team.
• The practice asked staff and patients for feedback about the services they provided.

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

• Review the practice’s audit protocols to ensure infection control audits are undertaken at regular intervals and, where applicable, learning points are documented and shared with staff.