Archived: T J Simmons Dental Surgery

This inspection was to see if improvements had been made since the inspection in April 2014. We gave the provider short notice so that any disruption to people's care and treatment were minimised. During the inspection we spoke with the provider who was also the principal dentist and one member of staff, we also looked at two sets of staff records. We found that the provider had made improvements.

Recruitment procedures were in place to ensure appropriate checks were made before staff began working. This provided some assurance that only suitable staff were employed at the dental surgery.

This inspection was to see if improvements had been made since our last inspection in April 2013. We gave the provider short notice so that any disruption to people's care and treatment were minimised. During our inspection we spoke with the provider and three members of staff. We also looked at the recruitment records of a recently appointed member of staff. We found that the provider had not made all of the necessary improvements.

People were protected from the risk of infection because appropriate guidance had been followed.

Recruitment procedures in place were not sufficiently robust to provide adequate assurance that only suitable staff were employed at the practice.

On the day of the inspection we spoke with the dentist, two dental nurses and the receptionist. We also spoke with three people using the service.

We were told that people paid for private treatment at this dental practice.

We spoke to people who had attended the surgery for consultations or treatment. Everybody we spoke with told us they were happy with the treatment they received.

We found the dental practice to be clean and hygienic and there were systems in place which ensured the practice was cleaned in accordance with dental good practice guidelines. We found that there was no clear evidence that the service had taken action to address shortfalls from an external audit completed by Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust in March 2012.

We found that the staff team was suitably qualified for their roles. We found that although the dental practice had a recruitment policy in place, they had not always followed this policy when recruiting staff.

People we spoke with told us the staff team was always helpful and friendly and appointments were arranged at a convenient time for them. People told us they would be comfortable making a complaint if they needed to.

One person told us: 'I am very happy, the treatment is always excellent'.

Another person told us: 'The dentist is lovely. It is very nice and comfortable in the waiting room'.