Ivory Dental – Coulsdon is a general dental practice in Coulsdon offering both NHS and private treatment. The practice treats adults and children.

The premises consist of a waiting area separate to the reception desk and three treatment rooms. There is also a separate decontamination room. The practice had undergone extensive refurbishment and development to ensure compliance with essential quality standards. The provider had a practice development plan which demonstrated a commitment to continual improvement and development.

The staff structure of the practice consists of the practice owner (principal dentist), four further part-time dentists, a practice manager, a receptionist and three dental nurses. The practice employs the services of a part time dentist who carries out dental implant treatment as well as two part time dental hygienists who carry out preventative advice and treatment.

Our key findings were:

We found that this practice was providing safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

• There were effective systems in place to reduce the risk and spread of infection. We observed that all treatment rooms and equipment were very clean.
• There were systems in place to check all equipment had been serviced regularly, including the suction compressor, autoclave, fire extinguishers, oxygen cylinder and the X-ray equipment.
• We found the dentists regularly assessed each patient’s gum health and took X-rays at appropriate intervals.
• The practice ensured staff maintained the necessary skills and competence to support the needs of patients.
• The practice kept up to date with current guidelines and was led by a proactive and forward thinking management team.
• At our visit we observed staff were kind, caring, competent and put patients at their ease.
• The practice had a strong emphasis on learning, development and improvement which was driven by a strong practice management team.
• We reviewed six comment cards that had been completed by patients and spoke with two patients on the day of our inspection. Common themes were patients felt they were listened to and received very good care in a clean environment from a helpful and patient practice team.

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.

We saw that major building work was taking place to the rear of the practice. The dentist told us that the practice was being totally refurbished and they currently used two treatment rooms at the front of the building. They told us that this work would be finished by June 2012.

People spoke positively about the attitude, care and treatment provided by the practice team. They told us they were able to make appointments when they needed.

One person who uses the service told us they had attended the practice for many years and did not mind the building work as it would make the practice even better.

People told us their privacy was respected and the practice was usually comfortable and clean and tidy.

They told us that staff were always friendly and their treatment was explained to them however one person told us that at their last appointment they had not been consulted about the cost of the treatment.

People told us they did not know how to make a complaint. They told us that they had no concerns but if they did have they could discuss them with the dentist or receptionist.