Balsall Common Dental Practice is a private practice that provides services to people of all ages. The services provided include prevention based, family dental care as well as a full range of procedures including whitening, veneers, crowns, white fillings, orthodontics, implants, bridges, dentures, root fillings, periodontal gum treatment and dental hygienist services.

Before our inspection we provided comment cards and asked patients to share their views and experiences of the service. We reviewed 44 completed comment cards and we also spoke with two of these patients by telephone after our inspection. The feedback received in comment cards was very complimentary of the practice and the care provided by staff. Patient comments included that the service and staff were caring and professional, the environment was clean, they could access the service in an emergency and they felt fully informed about their care and treatment.

Overall we found that the practice had arrangements to ensure patients received appropriate care in a safe and well led environment. Staff working at the practice had the appropriate skills and knowledge to support patients. We observed staff treating patients with care and understanding.

There were policies and procedures at the practice for staff recruitment and for safeguarding children and vulnerable adults. The practice had the equipment and medicines they would need in the event of a medical emergency. Staff had received training and demonstrated to us they knew how to respond. The practice had appropriate arrangements in place to ensure patients received care and treatment that met their needs. Staff working at the practice had the appropriate skills and knowledge for their roles.

However, there were some areas for improvement. In particular, the provider should:

• Develop an incident reporting policy and document all incidents to implement learning