We carried out an unannounced comprehensive inspection on 1 February 2017 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

Southside Dental Care in Streatham, London provides NHS and private dental treatment to patients of all ages.

Practice staffing consists of the principal dentists, three associate dentists, one hygienist, registered manager, three dental nurses and two receptionists

The compliance manager 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 practice is open Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm.

The practice facilities include four treatment rooms, a reception and waiting area, a decontamination room, and a staff room/kitchen.

Patients we spoke with told us that they were happy with the treatment and advice they had received.

Our key findings were:

• Equipment, such as the autoclaves, fire extinguishers, and X-ray equipment had all been checked for effectiveness and had been regularly serviced.
• Staff had received safeguarding children and adults training and knew the processes to follow to raise any concerns. The practice had whistleblowing policies and procedure and staff were aware of these and their responsibilities to report any concerns.
• The practice had a procedure for handling and responding to complaints, which were displayed and available to patients.
• 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).
• Patients were treated with dignity and respect and confidentiality was maintained.
• Patients received clear explanations about their proposed treatment, costs, benefits and risks and were involved in making decisions about it.
• Staff had been trained to handle medical emergencies, and appropriate medicines and life-saving equipment were readily available.
• Infection control protocols were not being followed in line with recommended national guidance.
• Governance systems were effective and there were a range of policies and procedures in place which underpinned the management of the practice. However infection control and X-ray audits were not being carried out to monitor the quality of services.

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

• Review the practice's policy and the storage of products identified under Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) 2002 Regulations to ensure a risk assessment is undertaken and the products are stored securely.
• Review the practice’s infection control procedures and protocols taking into account 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 the security of prescription pads in the practice and ensure there are systems in place to monitor and track their use.
• Review stocks of medicines and equipment and the system for identifying and disposing of out-of-date stock.
• Review the practice’s sharps procedures giving due regard to the Health and Safety (Sharp Instruments in Healthcare) Regulations 2013
• Review the practice’s audit protocols of various aspects of the service, such as radiography and infection control at regular intervals to help improve the quality of service. Practice should also check all audits have documented learning points and the resulting improvements can be demonstrated.