Archived: Green Park Dental Practice

Updated 16 March 2016

We carried out an announced, comprehensive inspection on 17th November 2015.

The inspection was led by a CQC inspector. They were accompanied by a dentist specialist advisor.

We reviewed information received from the provider prior to the inspection. We also informed the local Healthwatch and NHS England we did not receive any information from them.

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

Five people provided feedback about the service. Patients 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 dental staff.

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 16 March 2016

We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 17th November 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

Green Park Dental Practice is located in the Green park area of Bath and provides private and NHS treatment to patients of all ages. The practice consists of two treatment rooms, one for the dentist and one for the hygienist. There are also two treatment rooms used by two other dental providers.The premises has toilet facilities for patients and staff, a reception/ waiting area and a staff room.

The practice treats both adults and children.The practice offers routine examinations and treatment. It is run by one dentist who is also the registered provider. A registered provider is a person who is registered with the Care Quality Commission and has a 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’s opening hours are

8.00am to 1.00pm and 2.00pm to 4.45pm on Monday to Thursday

8.00am to 1.00pm and 2.00pm to 4.00pm on Fridays.

There is a dentist oncall during evenings and weekends in case of an emergency.

We carried out an announced, comprehensive inspection on 17th November 2015. The inspection was led by a CQC inspector. They were accompanied by a dentist specialist advisor.

Before the inspection we looked at the NHS Choices website. In the previous year there had been one positive comment about the practice.

For this inspection 25 people provided feedback to us about the service. Patients were positive about the care they received from the practice. They were complimentary about the service offered which was good and excellent. They told us that staff were kind, caring, sympathetic and professional. Patients told us that they were listened to, staff treated them with dignity and respect and the practice was clean and hygienic. We received no negative comments.

Our key findings were:

• Safe systems and processes were in place, including a lead for safeguarding and infection control.

• Staff recruitment policies were appropriate and relevant checks were completed. Staff received relevant training.

• The practice had ensured that risk assessments were in place and that they were regularly reviewed.

• The clinical equipment in the practice was appropriately maintained. The practice appeared visibly clean throughout.

• The practice maintained appropriate dental care records and patients’ clinical details were updated suitably.

• Patients were provided with health promotion advice to promote good oral care.

• Patients gave consent to treatment and they were given treatment plans.

• Staff were aware of what process to follow when a person lacked capacity to give consent to treatment.

• All feedback that we received from patients was positive; they stated that it was a caring and effective service.

• There were governance systems, for example auditing of infection control, medical histories and radiographs.

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

• Review the decontamination process and introduce the changing of heavy duty rubber gloves before examination of instruments to prevent recontamination of instruments after washing.
• Consider the use of disposable protective barriers on surfaces in the surgeries, that are frequently touched by the dentist to provide an additional level of protection for patients from the risk of infection.
• Obtain information about local translation services in case someone needs an independent translator.