21 March 2012
During a routine inspection
The Heath Hayes surgery has treatment rooms and the waiting room on the first floor so would not be suitable for people who use a wheelchair. People who use a wheelchair would be able to access treatment at the Chase Terrace surgery. There is ramped access and wider entrances. All services are provided on the ground floor at this surgery.
People receiving care and treatment from this practice location pay independently or can access their dentistry through NHS costs. The practice has a current contract with the NHS to provide NHS dental care to people.
As part of our review we spoke with five people by telephone (some of these people also told us about the experiences of other family members). People spoke highly of this dentist practice. People were satisfied with the care and treatment they had received. One person told us 'I have been using this dentist for about 20 years. In my view is an excellent dentist and the practice is well run. The staff are extremely helpful, they are pleasant and polite", and 'It is a nice friendly service. Nice happy staff which put me at ease'.
We spoke with four of the staff. They made positive comments about working at this dental practice. One staff member told us that all staff work as a team. Another staff member told us;' We know all our patients very well. A number of patients have been coming here for a number of years. Their children then come here as do some people's grandchildren. We care about all the people. We provide a good quality service looking at the whole person rather than just their dental needs".
Evidence that we gathered during this review confirmed that people are assessed to decide what dental and oral healthcare needs they may have. Treatments that people may need are discussed with them and are carried out in a satisfactory way.
We found good practices regarding infection control and cleaning procedures which demonstrated compliance in this area.