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.

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.