We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 26 November 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

The Oaks Dental Surgery is located in the London Borough of Bromley. The premises are situated on the ground floor of a converted residential building. There are four treatment rooms, a dedicated decontamination room, a reception room, a waiting room, an administrative office, and a patient toilet.

The practice provides NHS and private services to adults and children. The practice offers a range of dental services including routine examinations and treatment, veneers, crowns and bridges, and oral hygiene.

The staff structure of the practice comprises of a principal dentist (who is also the owner), three associate dentists, three hygienists, eight dental nurses, and two receptionists. Some of the dental nurses also worked on reception and one provided administrative support for the principal dentist.

The practice opening hours are on Monday from 8.45am to 7.00pm, Tuesday from 8.45am to 5.00pm, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday from 8.00am to 7.00pm, and Saturday from 9.00am to 12.00pm (for private patients only).

The principal dentist is registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) as an individual. 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 dentist specialist advisor. A trainee CQC inspector also attended the inspection.

Twelve people provided feedback about the service. Patients were positive about the care they received from the practice. They were complimentary about the friendly and caring attitude of the dental staff.

Our key findings were:

• Patients’ needs were assessed and care was planned in line with current guidance such as from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).

• There were effective systems in place to reduce and minimise the risk and spread of infection.
• The practice had effective safeguarding processes in place and staff understood their responsibilities for safeguarding adults and children living in vulnerable circumstances.
• Staff reported incidents and kept records of these which the practice used for shared learning.
• Most equipment, such as the air compressor and autoclave (steriliser), had been checked for effectiveness and had been regularly serviced; although we noted that some records for other equipment, including one of the ultrasonic baths and the fire extinguishers were not up to date.

• Patients indicated that they felt they were listened to and that they received good care from a helpful and caring practice team.
• The practice ensured staff maintained the necessary skills and competence to support the needs of patients.
• The practice had implemented clear procedures for managing comments, concerns or complaints.
• The principal dentist had a clear vision for the practice and staff told us they were well supported by the management team.
• There were governance arrangements, including the use of regular audits, to monitor performance, but these were not always used effectively to drive improvement in the quality and safety of the services.

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

• Review the practice’s protocols for the use of rubber dam for root canal treatment giving due regard to guidelines issued by the British Endodontic Society.
• Review the practice's protocols for completion of dental care records giving due regard to guidance provided by the Faculty of General Dental Practice regarding clinical examinations and record keeping.
• Review the practice’s infection control procedures and protocols giving due regard to guidelines issued by the Department of Health - Health Technical Memorandum 01-05: Decontamination in primary care dental practices and The Health and Social Care Act 2008: ‘Code of Practice about the prevention and control of infections and related guidance.
• Review recruitment procedures to ensure accurate, complete and detailed records are maintained for all staff.
• Review the practice’s audit protocols to document 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, and training in relation to, Gillick competency to ensure all staff are aware of their responsibilities as it relates to their role.
• 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 practice’s current Legionella risk assessment arrangements giving due regard to guidelines issued by the Department of Health - Health Technical Memorandum 01-05: Decontamination in primary care dental practices and The Health and Social Care Act 2008: ‘Code of Practice about the prevention and control of infections and related guidance’.

People we spoke with said they were very happy and satisfied with the service provided by the surgery. They said they always found the surgery to be clean whenever they visited. One person we spoke with said that they had been with the surgery for many years and said they were given appropriate information, explained the procedures and given choices.

People we spoke with told us that they were very happy and satisfied with the service provided by the surgery. One person we spoke with said that they had been with the surgery for many years and though it wasn’t the one nearest to their home they preferred to come there. They said they never had any reasons to complain.

People told us they found the surgery to be clean whenever they visited. “It’s always spotless”, they said.