Archived: Mr Ian Marker - Dewsbury Road

The practice had three surgeries and we looked at the facilities of each surgery. We spoke with three dental nurses who had responsibility for the infection control of their surgeries. We were told the surfaces were wiped, chairs were cleaned, all items used were disposed of or decontaminated between patients.

The practice did not have a separate decontamination room due to limited space, this meant equipment was decontaminated and sterilised in each surgery. There was a clear clean and dirty flow within two of the surgeries to ensure dirty items were kept separate from clean / sterile items. However we noted in the third surgery the limited work space meant there was no identified 'dirty' and 'clean' area.

We reviewed how the practice disposed of clinical waste and found each of the surgeries had clinical waste sacks.

Since our last inspection the cleaning cupboard had been relocated. We saw there were four colour coded mops and buckets which were clean and stored appropriately.

We looked at several staff files and found the provider had introduced a new recruitment process which included for example, obtaining completed application forms, two references and Disclose and Barring Service checks before employment commenced.

People told us they had a choice of appointment times which could be fit around them. People said they usually got seen within five minutes of their appointment time. They told us on the rare occasion they could not be seen at their appointment time the receptionist always told them the dentist was running late and they were given the option to reschedule their appointment.

Both people were positive about the staff and described them as 'friendly' and 'helpful'. One person told us the staff 'are brilliant'. One person described how nervous they got about visiting the dentist. This person said; 'The staff have been very good. They keep me calm and put me at ease.'

People told us they were given treatment estimate costs. One person said they were 'clear on prices.' Another person said they did get estimates regarding treatment costs although they still found they were not always clear on prices.

People told us they were given choices in relation to their treatments and given the opportunity to ask questions. One person said; 'I'm given choices and made aware of any risks.' We asked people about the cleanliness of the surgery and both people said they found the surgery to be 'always spotless' and 'very clean'.

The two people we spoke with knew to speak to a member of staff if they had a complaint and that this would be looked at by the practice manager.