2 January 2014
During an inspection looking at part of the service
When we visited the practice on 26 June 2013 we found the provider did not have systems in place to ensure that the appropriate standards of cleanliness and hygiene were maintained in relation to premises, equipment and reusable medical devices and materials. The process for sterilisation of instruments using autoclaves was not fully in line with the best practice requirements of current national guidelines as there was no separate decontamination room. We asked the provider to make improvements.
We went back on this visit to see whether improvements had been made.
During our visit, we spoke with the area manager and a dental nurse. We found the previous registered manager at the practice had left on 20 December 2013. The area manager and a dental nurse explained the practice's systems and processes to us.
The area manager explained that the practice currently employed seven dentists, a hygienist, seven dental nurses, three receptionists and a cleaner. They told us a new manager was due to start on the Monday following our visit, 6 January 2014, and would be applying to become the registered manager for the service. A new support manager, with a clinical background, and a trainee dental nurse were also due to start work at the practice on 6 January 2014.
We looked around the practice, including two treatment rooms and the decontamination room; all of these areas in the practice looked clean. We saw that, since our last inspection visit, all of the treatment rooms and public areas had been refurbished and redecorated. Flooring had been replaced in the public areas and the waiting areas also had new flooring and chairs. We saw that the practice now had a separate decontamination room for the sterilisation of dental instruments.