G K Ooi & Associates - Kennington Road

On this page

• Overview
• Assessing needs
• Delivering evidence-based care and treatment
• How staff, teams and services work together
• Supporting people to live healthier lives
• Monitoring and improving outcomes
• Consent to care and treatment

We found this practice was not providing effective care in accordance with the relevant regulations. We will be following up on our concerns to ensure they have been put right by the provider. During our assessment of this key question, we found concerns related to the completeness of dental care records which resulted in a breach of Regulation 17 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. You can find more details of our concerns in the evidence category findings below.

Find out what we look at when we assess this area in our information about our new Single assessment framework.

The judgement for Assessing needs is based on the latest evidence we assessed for the Effective key question.

Patients told us they were given clear information to help them make an informed choice about their treatment and any associated costs. They were involved in decisions about their care. Patients told us that when they were prescribed medicines, sufficient information was given. Patients told us that they were supported to maintain their oral health and were provided with appropriate information and resources.

The provider had systems to ensure that people who used the service received person-centred care and treatment that was appropriate, met their needs and was reflective of their personal preferences. The dentists confirmed, where applicable, they referred patients to a range of specialists in primary and secondary care for treatment the practice did not provide. Staff told us how they kept up to date with current evidence-based practice. However, the provider should take action to ensure dentists at the practice were aware of the guidelines issued by the British Endodontic Society for the use of rubber dam for root canal treatment to protect the airway and improve treatment outcomes. The practice provided preventive care and supported patients to ensure better oral health. Staff were aware of national oral health campaigns and local schemes which supported patients to live healthier lives. Staff felt the practice supported them to develop and enabled them to take on lead roles and responsibilities. Staff worked together and with other health and social care professionals to deliver effective care and treatment. Staff demonstrated their understanding of the need to obtain patients’ consent to care and treatment in line with legislation and guidance. They understood their responsibilities under the Mental Capacity Act 2005. Improvements could be made to ensure staff had a greater understanding of obtaining consent for procedures involving looked after children. Staff described how they involved patients’ relatives or carers when appropriate and made sure they had enough time to explain treatment options clearly.

Staff generally had the skills, knowledge and experience to carry out their roles. The practice had some systems to keep dental professionals up to date with current evidence-based practice. Improvements were required to ensure the provider monitored staff training effectively. We looked at 9 dental care records. The information recorded in these dental care records was not consistently in line with recognised guidance. Records of discussions, including risks and treatment options were not always documented. We viewed records for a dental extraction and provision of a crown but no clinical notes accompanied the entries. For example, consent, local anaesthetic detail, risks, observations, post-operative warnings or technique was recorded. Some records did not contain records of basic periodontal examinations or cancer screening checks. Staff obtained patients’ consent to care and treatment in line with legislation and guidance but this was not recorded consistently. They understood their responsibilities under the Mental Capacity Act 2005. The dentists inconsistently justified, graded and reported on the radiographs they took. The practice did not have comprehensive systems for the safe handling and prescribing of medicines. NHS prescription pads were kept securely, but were not monitored as described in current guidance to prevent fraudulent misuse. Following our feedback, the practice implemented a system designed to detect missing prescription forms. Staff worked together and with other health and social care professionals to deliver effective care and treatment. The practice had systems for referring patients with suspected cancer under the national two-week wait arrangements. Following our inspection the practice implemented a system to ensure patient referrals to other dental or health care professionals were centrally monitored to ensure they are received in a timely manner and not lost.

The judgement for How staff, teams and services work together is based on the latest evidence we assessed for the Effective key question.

The judgement for Supporting people to live healthier lives is based on the latest evidence we assessed for the Effective key question.

The judgement for Monitoring and improving outcomes is based on the latest evidence we assessed for the Effective key question.

The judgement for Consent to care and treatment is based on the latest evidence we assessed for the Effective key question.