5 February 2014
During a routine inspection
During and after our visit we spoke with five patients about their care and treatment. Two other patients completed our questionnaire. Patients who used the service understood the care and treatment choices available to them. One patient said: 'I am absolutely aware of the costs, they do a plan for you and go through it with you'.
We looked at the records for eight patients. We saw the information recorded at each examination and subsequent visits. We spoke with the dentist who told us they carried out a 20 point checklist at each patient examination. Patients told us they were given a copy to take away so they had a record of the checks the dentist had made.
There were systems in place to reduce the risk and spread of infection. However we had some concerns about the way infection control systems were carried out. In some areas decontamination procedures did not reflect the guidance from the Department of Health.
The service had carried out a patient satisfaction survey in April 2013 which had been completed by 245 patients. The results showed that people were satisfied with the service. The results had been discussed with staff and some changes to the practice had been implemented as a result of patient comments.
Audits, to check that patients were protected against the risk of unsafe care, had been carried out over 16 months ago. There was an audit plan in place but the audits scheduled for 2013 had not taken place. The lack of recent audits meant that the service had not identified any areas for development or improvement.