11 June 2015
During an inspection looking at part of the service
Apollonia House Dental Practice provides private dental services and some NHS services. The practice is close to the centre of Alton and has one ground floor surgery as well as two surgeries and a decontamination room on the first floor. The staff structure of the practice consists of a dentist who is also the provider of the service, two part time dentists, a practice manager, a receptionist and three dental nurses. The practice also employs two part time dental hygienists.
We carried out an announced focused inspection at Apollonia House Dental Practice on 11 June 2015. This inspection was to follow up on previous areas of concern where we had asked the provider to take action.
At an inspection on 23 June 2014 we found that regulations relating to cleanliness and infection control and the management of medicines had not been met. We asked the provider to take action. We visited the practice again on 3 September 2014 and found the provider still had some work to complete to fully meet regulations.
On 11 June 2015 we revisited the practice and spoke with staff, including the provider, the practice manager, a dental nurse and a specialist in business and compliance support. We reviewed a number of documents including policies, procedures, equipment monitoring and maintenance records, and audits relating to infection prevention and control. We did not speak to any patients during our inspection.
We found that the practice had taken reasonable steps to address the breaches in regulations found at our last inspections. The practice had systems to assess and manage risks to patients, including for the prevention and control of infection, and the management of medicines. There were clear guidelines regarding the maintenance and monitoring of decontamination equipment. The practice ensured that appropriate arrangements were in place for checking emergency medicines we found that medicines were stored securely and systems to control stock were in place.
We found that this practice was providing safe care in accordance with the relevant regulations.
Our key findings were:
- All equipment and medicines recommended for use in a medical emergency were in date, readily available and followed national guidance.
- All medicines and dental materials stored at the practice were in date and stored securely.
- The practice had introduced a system to track the maintenance and monitoring of equipment and any safety and stock checks that were required.
- Infection control procedures were in place and the practice followed published guidance.
- All equipment at the practice was regularly maintained, tested and monitored for safety and effectiveness.