We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 18 June 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.

Parchmore Dental is located in the London Borough of Croydon. The premises consist of two treatment rooms and two dedicated decontamination rooms and an X-ray room. There are also toilet facilities, a waiting room, a reception area, an administrative office and a store room.

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

The staff structure of the practice is comprised of two principal dentists (who are also the owners), one dentist, a dental nurse, a practice manager and two receptionists.

The practice is open Monday to Wednesday from 9.00am to 5.00pm, Thursday from 9.00am to 6.00pm and Friday from 9.00am to 4.00pm.

One of the principal dentists was the registered manager. A registered manager is a person who is registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) 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.

We carried out an announced, comprehensive inspection on 18 June 2015. The inspection took place over one day and was carried out by two CQC inspectors and a dentist specialist advisor.

We received 50 CQC comment cards completed by patients and spoke with three patients during our inspection visit. Patients we spoke with, and those who completed comment cards, were positive about the care they received from the practice. They were complimentary about the friendly and caring attitude of the staff.

Our key findings were:

• 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).

• Equipment, such as the air compressor, autoclave (steriliser), fire extinguishers, oxygen cylinder and X-ray equipment had all been checked for effectiveness and had been regularly serviced.

• The practice ensured staff maintained the necessary skills and competence to support the needs of patients.

• Patients indicated that they felt they were listened to and that they received good care from a helpful and patient practice team.

• 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 in place and the practice effectively used audits to monitor and improve the quality of care provided.

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

• Ensure that at least two references are sought and kept for all members of staff when they are recruited.

• Review the protocol for sterilising instrument trays with due regard to guidelines issued by the Department of Health - Health Technical Memorandum 01-05: Decontamination in primary care dental practices.

• Ensure all staff, including the staff who have responsibility for cleaning the premises, have received training in infection control processes.

• Reassess the arrangements for the storage and checking of medicines, including the monitoring of the fridge and stock-checking protocols.
• Consider having in place a formal business continuity plan to ensure continuity of care in the event that the practice’s premises could not be used for any reason.