Smiles Ahead Dental Surgery

We spoke with three people who attended for treatment on the day of our visit. All of them told us that they felt safe with the staff at the practice. One person told us 'I have been coming here for over ten years and I am fully confident of the staff.' Another person said 'They are very family friendly, it is a safe environment.'

We spoke with the provider, who was also the dentist, and two other staff on duty. Staff we spoke with had a good understanding of their responsibilities under the MCA. We saw evidence that staff had received training in the MCA since our last inspection.

We spoke with the provider, who was also the dentist, and three other staff on duty. We observed a treatment and saw that staff treated people with courtesy, discussed medical histories with them and helped the patient to make informed decisions about their treatment. One person said 'I am an anxious patient and the staff always help to make sure I am relaxed.'

All of the people who used the service told us that they felt safe with the dentist. One person said 'I am totally confident in the staff here'. However, we found that staff had not received training in the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). The MCA provides a legal framework to support vulnerable people in decision making.

We saw that clinical areas of the practice were clean and tidy. We found that infection control audits had been completed. However, we saw that milk for tea and coffee was stored in the same fridge as clinical equipment.

We saw evidence that the practice had in place checks to monitor the quality and safety of treatment being provided.