Heronsgate Dental Centre

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 19 February 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

Heronsgate Dental Care is located in the Royal Borough of Greenwich and provides private and NHS dental services. The demographic of the practice was local families and older people who lived in the local area.

The staff structure of the practice comprises of a principal dentist, an associate dentist, a practice manager, three dental nurses and two receptionists.

At the time of the inspection the practice did not have a Registered Manager in place.

The premises consist of thee treatment rooms, a dedicated decontamination room, an OPG (Orthopantomogram) room and a reception area An OPG (or orthopantomogram) is a rotational panoramic dental radiograph that allows the clinician to view the upper and lower jaws and teeth. It is normally a 2-dimensional representation of these.

Before the inspection we sent Care Quality Commission (CQC) comment cards to the practice for patients to complete to tell us about their experience of the practice. We received feedback from 41 patients. The feedback we received from the vast majority of patients gave a positive view of the services the practice provides. The patients commented that the quality of care was good.

The inspection took place over one day and was carried out by a lead inspector and a dental specialist adviser.

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) and Delivering Better Oral Health.
• 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 areas where the provider could make improvements and should:

• Review recruitment procedures to ensure accurate, complete and detailed records are maintained for all staff.