Archived: The Beckenham Dental Clinic

Updated 19 November 2015

The inspection took place on the 7 October 2015 and was undertaken by a CQC inspector and a dental specialist adviser. Prior to the inspection we reviewed information submitted by the provider and information available on the provider’s website. We informed the NHS England area team that we were inspecting the practice; however we did not receive any information of concern from them.

During our inspection visit we spoke with members of staff which included the dentist, dental nurses, trainee dental nurse and receptionist. We reviewed policy documents, staff records and CQC comment cards completed by patients.

To get to the heart of patients’ experiences of care and treatment, we always ask the following five questions:

• Is it safe?
• Is it effective?
• Is it caring?
• Is it responsive to people’s needs?
• Is it well-led?

These questions therefore formed the framework for the areas we looked at during the inspection.

Updated 19 November 2015

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 7 October 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

Background

The Beckenham Dental Clinic is located in the London Borough of Bromley and provides both NHS dental services and services to private patients. The demographics of the practice is diverse, serving patients from a range of social and ethnic backgrounds. The practice is open 9.00am to 5.30pm Monday to Fridays, except on Thursdays when they open until 7.30pm. They also offer appointments on two Saturdays per month. The practice facilities include three consultation rooms, reception and waiting area, decontamination room, staff room/ administration office. The premises are wheelchair accessible and have facilities for wheelchair users, including an accessible toilet.

We received 24 completed Care Quality Commission comment cards from patients. They were positive about the service and gave good feedback. They told us that staff were friendly and polite and always treated them with respect. Information was given to them in formats easy for them to understand and if they did not understand anything staff always explained things well.

Our key findings were:

• Patients’ needs were assessed and care was planned in line with current guidance.
• Patients were involved in their care and treatment planning so they could make informed decisions.
• There were effective processes in place to reduce and minimise the risk and spread of infection.
• There were appropriate equipment and access to emergency drugs to enable the practice to respond to medical emergencies. Staff knew where equipment was stored.
• All clinical staff were up to date with their continuing professional development.
• There was appropriate equipment for staff to undertake their duties, and equipment was maintained appropriately.
• Appropriate governance arrangements were in place to facilitate the smooth running of the service, including a programme of audits for continuous improvements.