Archived: Perfect Smile Dental Surgery - Putney

The provider had implemented a new policy on checking sterilised instruments; all staff had read this policy. Weekly checks had also been implemented where dental nurses would manually check instruments in the treatment rooms to ensure pouched instruments were date stamped.

We checked three treatment rooms and checked that all instruments had an expiry date stamp. We also checked the weekly log sheets and saw that staff had been carrying out regular checks on the instruments. The practice manager and the head nurse also carried out spot checks to ensure that nurses were carrying out visual checks.

The people we spoke with made positive comments about the way the practice cared for them. One person told us "the dentist is brilliant, he takes his time and is professional".

Staff that we spoke with were fully aware of the different types of abuse that could occur and were clear on what action they would take if they suspected abuse. There were notices on display throughout the practice with the contact details of the local safeguarding team at the Local Authority.

People we spoke with said they were satisfied with the cleanliness of the practice. One person told us "the treatment rooms are always clean". We saw evidence that some sterilised instruments did not have a expiry date stamp on them, both in the treatment room and in the decontamination room.

The practice employed a number of dentists, dental nurses, hygienists and reception staff. We looked at staff files for all the employees at the practice. Clinical staff were registered with the General Dental Council.

We saw evidence that the practice carried out regular maintenance on clinical equipment to ensure that it was fit for purpose.