Archived: Fremington Dental Practice

During this inspection we spoke with two staff, one of which was the registered manager. We looked at records held in relation to quality assurance checks being completed, including those for cleaning and infection control. We toured the building and looked at two surgeries and the decontamination room. We looked at two patient records. We did not speak to patients who use the service on this occasion.

We found the provider had made a number of improvements and was compliant in the three areas we previously highlighted. Systems had been put in place to monitor cleaning and infection control procedures. Quality assurance checks were being carried out regularly and meant the provider had identified areas for improvement and either addressed these or had an action plan in place. The recruitment procedure had been reviewed and the provider had obtained appropriate information, including a Disclosure and Barring Service Certificate (DBS) for each member of staff.

We spent time in the practice looking at five key standards of quality and safety for the way the practice provided its services and added an additional outcome based on information we found. We found aspects of the service that were done well, whilst other elements of the service required improvement.

The patients we spoke with told us, 'The staff are friendly and polite', and 'They are absolutely fantastic here, really nice people'. Patients told us the dentist kept them informed about the treatment they needed and involved them in decision making. Where a choice of treatment was available we heard from patients how they were able to make informed choices about the treatment they needed.

We saw that treatment was provided following a full mouth assessment which included checks for caries, gum disease and oral cancer. Patients told us their treatment was delivered in private and they were treated with respect by all the staff.

Cleanliness and infection control was not carried out in accordance with current guidance and required improvement particularly in the decontamination room. The surgery areas would also benefit from some improvements.

Staff recruitment whilst appropriate did not meet current employment standards and required improvement to ensure more detailed staff records were obtained before staff started work in the practice. Audits relating to the management of the practice were incomplete and not routinely checked meaning improvements in the way the practice was managed were not clearly identified.

Patient records were up to date, indicated medical alerts and changes to people's medication and showed the treatment plans patients required to maintain effective oral health. Signed treatment plans were scanned into patient records on a secure patient record system.