Archived: Albany Dental Practice

Updated 1 October 2015

We carried out an announced, comprehensive inspection on 01 July 2015. The inspection took place over one day and was led by a CQC inspector who had access to remote advice from a specialist advisor.

We reviewed information received from the provider prior to the inspection. We also informed the NHS England area team and the local Healthwatch that we were inspecting the practice; however we did not receive any information of concern from them.

During our inspection visit, we reviewed policy documents. We spoke with four members of staff, including the management team. We conducted a tour of the practice and looked at the storage arrangements for emergency medicines and equipment. We observed the dental nurse carrying out decontamination procedures of dental instruments and also observed staff interacting with patients in the waiting area.

We reviewed 46 Care Quality Commission (CQC) comment cards completed by patients and spoke with four patients in the waiting area. Patients we spoke with and those who completed comment cards were very positive about the care they received from the practice. They were complimentary about the friendly and caring attitude of the dental staff and said staff were friendly and welcoming.

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 1 October 2015

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 01 July 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

Albany Dental Practice is located in Brentford, Middlesex. The practice provides the full range of NHS treatment to adults and children except orthodontics and sedation. The practice also offers private treatment.

The staff structure of the practice is comprised of one full-time dentist, a full-time practice manager who is also the practice’s hygienists two days a month, one dental nurse and one receptionist. The dentist is registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) as the responsible individual.

The practice is open Monday, Tuesday and Thursday from 9.00am to 5.30pm and Wednesday and Friday 9.00am to 2.00pm. The practice closes for lunch from 1.00pm to 2.00pm.

We received 46 CQC comment cards completed by patients and spoke with four patients during our inspection visit. Patients we spoke with, and those who completed comment cards, were very 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) and the Faculty of General Dental Practice (FGDP).

• Systems were in place to manage health and safety and respond to risk.

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

• Patients reported that they felt they were listened to and that they were treated with dignity and respect by the practice team.

• The practice had implemented clear procedures for managing comments, concerns or complaints, proactively sought feedback from patients and staff and acted on it to improve the service provided.

• 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:

• Review the cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training to ensure all dental healthcare staff update their knowledge and skills in resuscitation at least annually.

• 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.

• Review the practice’s protocols for the use of rubber dam for root canal treatment giving due regard to guidelines issued by the British Endodontic Society.