Smiledartford

We carried out this announced inspection on 05 February 2020 under s ection 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. We planned the inspection to check whether the registered provider was meeting the legal requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated regulations. The inspection was led by a Care Quality Commission, ( CQC ), inspector who was supported by a specialist dental adviser.

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 form the framework for the areas we look at during the inspection.

Our findings were:

Are services safe?

We found this practice was providing safe care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Are services effective?

We found this practice was providing effective care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Are services caring?

We found this practice was providing caring services in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Are services responsive?

We found this practice was providing responsive care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Are services well-led?

We found this practice was providing well-led care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Background

Smiledartford is in Dartford and provides NHS and private dental care and treatment for adults and children .

There is level access to the practice for people who use wheelchairs and those with pushchairs. Car parking spaces, including dedicated parking for disabled people , are available near the practice.

The dental team includes two dentists, four dental nurses , two dental h ygiene therapist s , one of which is the practice manager, one administrator and one receptionist. The practice has three treatment rooms.

The practice is owned by an individual who is the principal dentist there. They have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated regulations about how the practice is run.

On the day of inspection, we collected 30 CQC comment cards filled in by patients and spoke with five other patients.

During the inspection we spoke with one dentist , two dental nurses, both dental hygiene therapist s , one receptionist and the practice manager. We looked at practice policies and procedures and other records about how the service is managed.

The practice is open:

Monday 8.30am to 6pm

Tuesday 8.30am to 7pm

Wednesday 8.15am to 6pm

Thursday 8.30am to 5.30pm

Friday 7.30 am to 3pm

Every 2 nd Saturday 8.30 to 2pm

Sunday – closed

Our key findings were :

• The practice appeared to be visibly clean and well - maintained.

• The provider had infection control procedures which reflected published guidance.

• Staff knew how to deal with emergencies. Appropriate medicines and life-saving equipment were available.

• The provider had systems to help them manage risk to p atient s and staff .

• The provider had safeguarding processes and staff knew their responsibilities for safeguarding vulnerable adults and children.

• The provider had staff recruitment procedures which reflected curr e nt legislation.

• The clinical staff provided patients’ care and treatment in line with current guidelines.

• Staff treated patients with dignity and respect and took care to protect their privacy and personal information.

• Staff provid ed preventive care and support ed patients to ensure better oral health.

• The appointment system took account of patients’ needs.

• The p rovider had effective leadership and a culture of continuous improvement.

• Staff felt involved and supported and worked as a team.

• The p rovider asked staff and patients for feedback about the services they provided.

• The provider dealt with complaints positively and efficiently.

• The provider had information governance arrangements.