We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 12 August 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

Croydon Dental Practice is based in the London Borough of Croydon and provides private and NHS treatment. The opening hours for the practice were Monday to Friday 9.00am to 5.30am.

The premises consists of eight treatment rooms, three decontamination rooms and three waiting areas.

The practice comprises of two principal dentists, nine dentists, six receptionists, eight dental nurses and a practice administrator.

One of the principal dentists was 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.

During the inspection we asked patients to complete CQC comment cards. We received 19 completed comments cards. We spoke with three patients on the day of the inspection. The patients who provided feedback were positive about the care and treatment they received at the practice. They told us they were involved in all aspects of their care and found the staff to be caring, friendly and helpful and they were treated with care, dignity and respect.

Our key findings were:

• There were effective processes in place to reduce and minimise the risk and spread of infection.
• Patients’ needs were assessed and care was planned in line with best practice guidance such as from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). Patients were involved in their care and treatment planning.
• There was appropriate equipment for staff to undertake their duties and equipment was well maintained.
• Staff were trained in and there was appropriate equipment for them to respond to medical emergencies.
• Patients told us that staff were caring and treated them with dignity and respect.
• Patients indicated that they felt they were listened to and that they received good care from a helpful and caring practice team.
• There were processes in place for patients to give their comments and feedback about the service including making complaints and compliments.
• There were suitable governance arrangements and an effective management structure was in place.

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

• Review the practice’s waste handling policy and procedure to ensure waste is segregated and disposed of in accordance with relevant regulations giving due regard to guidance issued in the Health Technical Memorandum 07-01 (HTM 07-01).

• Review the storage of records related to people employed and the management of regulated activities giving due regard to current legislation and guidance.
• Review the protocol for completing accurate, complete and detailed records relating to employment of staff. This includes making appropriate notes of verbal reference taken and ensuring recruitment checks, including references, are suitably obtained and recorded.

On the day of the inspection we spoke with five people who used the service. They said that the costs and possible treatment options were explained to them and that they had time to think about the treatment options. They told us that they were usually seen punctually at their appointment time. One person told us, “I have been coming here for over 20 years and that says it all really. It is an excellent service." Another commented, "I travel quite a distance to come here because my dentist makes me feel less anxious." Someone else said, “I am impressed, it is very efficient here and appointments run on time."

We looked at some of the surgery records. We saw people had treatment plans which took into account their relevant medical history, explained their treatment needs and provided them with options where possible. Advice on prevention of tooth decay was given and any costs were explained.

We saw that the practice had infection control systems in place. People we spoke with said that they felt the practice was always clean. They felt confident in the dental care provided.

We spoke with two dentists and three dental nurses and looked at staff records. We saw there were effective recruitment procedures in place. We looked at other practice records and found that there were regular infection control audits to monitor and review the quality and safety of the service provided. Feedback from patients was also sought to make any improvements to the service.