During our visit to Blueberry Dental Surgery we met with the registered manager and the practice manager. We spoke with four patients and two members of staff. We looked at five patient’s records.

All of the patients we spoke with were very happy with the dental treatment they received. One patient told us “I like the quality of his [the dentist’s] work”. Another patient said “The dentist explains what may be the problem and takes photos [so the patient could see]. He [the dentist] pointed out there were different options. I’m staggering the treatment for costs sake. I always know what the treatment plan is”. Another patient said “it’s excellent, the staff are very friendly”. We looked at patient records which confirmed the detailed examination, diagnosis and treatment that patients said they had received.

Patients we spoke with told us the practice was always clean and tidy; one said “I’ve never felt it wasn’t clean and hygienic”. The practice operated processes, and followed procedures, that minimised the risk and spread of infection because current guidelines were followed.

Staff told us they were supported to carry out their roles. We saw that staff received training specific to their job and that they received an annual review of their performance. A dental nurse said “that was one of the reasons I wanted to work here because he [the dentist] is so keen on education”.

The practice had systems in place to seek and act on patient feedback and carried out audits to monitor clinical quality.