5 March 2014
During a routine inspection
We spoke with the acting manager, the commercial director, one dentist and two dental nurses. We also spoke with six patients who used the service and one of their relatives to gather feedback about the quality of care they received. We looked at the service's policies, six sets of clinical records, and staff files. We also took information from other sources to help us understand the views of patients, which included a satisfaction survey.
We found patients were respected and involved in their care. A patient told us, "Everything is clearly explained in advance of the treatment, I have time to think about it and ask questions again before anything goes ahead". Another patient told us, "I am a nervous patient having had bad experiences in the past but this dentist is really very good and makes me feel at ease. I trust them".
We found that treatment was delivered in line with patients' care plans and adjusted to meet individual needs. One patient told us, "I cannot fault this dentist's care, they are really very good and I am very satisfied with what has been done. I trust them and I have recommended them". Another patient said, "This practice offers excellent service, I would travel a long way to come here, they have saved my teeth".
The practice had a safeguarding policy for the protection of children and vulnerable adults. Staff were aware of their responsibilities and procedures to follow in respect of safeguarding and whistle blowing.
The practice was following appropriate guidance in relation to infection control. The dentist who took the lead in infection control told us, "We adhere to the Department of Health guidelines and implement any updates". A patient told us, "The place is always as clean as it is today and always spotless and smelling fresh".
The service had an effective system of audits in place, an incident reporting system and a complaint policy with clear procedures. Patients' views were sought to identify how the service could improve. One patient told us, "They want to know what they do well and what they don't do so well so they can improve, the questionnaires are very thorough".