Northwood Hills Dental Practice

On this page

• Overview
• Learning culture
• Safe systems, pathways and transitions
• Safeguarding
• Involving people to manage risks
• Safe environments
• Safe and effective staffing
• Infection prevention and control
• Medicines optimisation

We found this practice was providing safe care in accordance with the relevant regulations and had taken into consideration appropriate guidance.

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

The judgement for Learning culture is based on the latest evidence we assessed for the Safe key question.

The judgement for Safe systems, pathways and transitions is based on the latest evidence we assessed for the Safe key question.

The judgement for Safeguarding is based on the latest evidence we assessed for the Safe key question.

The judgement for Involving people to manage risks is based on the latest evidence we assessed for the Safe key question.

The practice had processes to identify and manage risks; staff we spoke with were able to describe these to us. Staff felt confident that risks were well managed at the practice, and the reporting of risks was encouraged. Emergency equipment and medicines were available and checked in accordance with national guidance. Staff could access these in a timely way. Following feedback from the inspection team, the practice ordered a spacer device to assist with the delivery of medicines used to treat asthma, as advised in Quality Standards guidance issued by the Resuscitation Council UK. In addition, the service introduced a temperature log to ensure that glucagon, which is a medicine used to treat low blood sugar, was stored at a temperature between 2 and 8 degrees Celsius, according to manufacturer’s guidance. Staff knew how to respond to a medical emergency and had completed training in emergency resuscitation and basic life support every year. Staff were encouraged to participate in medical emergency scenario training within staff meetings. The premises were visibly clean and free from clutter. Hazardous substances were clearly labelled and stored safely. We saw satisfactory records of servicing and validation of equipment in line with manufacturer’s instructions.

Fire exits were clear and well signposted. While the service had completed a fire risk assessment, the risk assessment had not identified that the fire alarm system had not been serviced. The practice arranged for servicing of the fire alarm to be completed on 19 November 2024. In addition, the practice arranged for an Electrical Installation Condition Report and gas safety checks to be completed on 23 November 2024, as they were overdue.

The practice had a recruitment policy and procedures that reflected relevant legislation, to help them employ suitable staff. The practice ensured clinical staff were qualified, registered with the General Dental Council and had appropriate professional indemnity cover. Newly appointed staff had a structured induction, which included safeguarding, The practice used General Dental Council standards and a code of conduct which was specific to the practice. One trainee dental nurse told us, ‘As a trainee I have learned a lot and gained invaluable experience from the team in a very short time. Working directly under the wings of highly experienced dentists and nurses has helped me grow exponentially.’ The provider ensured clinical staff completed continuing professional development required for their registration with the General Dental Council. The practice had arrangements to ensure staff training was up-to-date and reviewed at the required intervals. All staff were able to access online training courses, which had been paid for by the practice. There were also effective processes to support and develop staff with additional roles and responsibilities. One staff member told us, ‘We get so many opportunities to grow, learn and develop our professional skills and we can actively participate to meet the practice’s goals as well as our personal goals.’

Staff we spoke with had the skills, knowledge and experience to carry out their roles. They told us that there were sufficient staffing levels. They demonstrated knowledge of safeguarding and were aware of how safeguarding information could be accessed. Staff knew their responsibilities for safeguarding vulnerable adults and children. Staff stated they felt respected, supported and valued, and they were proud to work in the practice. One staff member said, ‘It is rare to find a practice where all members of the team are so passionate…it is a supportive environment where failures and mistakes are not looked down on but used to support personal development.’ Staff discussed their training needs during annual appraisals, practice team meetings and ongoing informal discussions. They also discussed learning needs, general wellbeing and aims for future professional development.

The practice had infection control procedures that reflected published guidance. This included procedures to reduce the risk of Legionella, or other bacteria, developing in water systems, in line with a risk assessment. We observed the decontamination of used dental instruments. Improvements were required to ensure that the temperature of the water used to manually clean contaminated dental instruments was checked to ensure it was below 45 degrees Celsius. Following feedback from the inspection team, wire brushes, which can cause damage to the surface of the instruments, were no longer used during manual cleaning of the dental instruments. The decontamination of dental instruments aligned with national guidance issued by the Department of Health in the Health Technical Memorandum 01-05: Decontamination in primary care dental practice. The practice had cleaning procedures and schedules to ensure effective cleaning, which were specific to the practice and developed by the principal dentist. Staff received appropriate training and demonstrated knowledge and awareness of infection prevention and control processes. The equipment in use was maintained and serviced as per manufacturers’ instructions. We saw, and staff confirmed that single use items were not reprocessed. Staff followed infection control principles, including the use of personal protective equipment, and safely segregated and disposed of hazardous waste. The practice completed infection prevention and control audits. Improvements were required to ensure these audits were completed every 6 months, in line with guidance.

The judgement for Medicines optimisation is based on the latest evidence we assessed for the Safe key question.