On this occasion, we did not speak with people using the service as part of our inspection. We found the provider had made improvements to ensure suitable infection control practices were followed in the surgery, staff were recruited and supported appropriately and patient and staff records were stored securely.

People we spoke with said they were happy and satisfied with the service provided by the dental surgery. They said they always found the surgery to be clean whenever they visited and some people said they knew it had recently been redecorated. We were told by patients we met on the day of our visit that the staff were helpful and friendly. One person we spoke with said that they and their family had been coming to the surgery for many years and that their dentist was very kind. People told us that they could always access appointments easily whenever they needed to. We were told by people that they were given appropriate information regarding their oral hygiene and the treatment they required. Overall people were very happy with their care.

There were suitable procedures for planning and delivery of care and there was information available regarding the cost of both NHS and private dental treatment within the waiting areas. However, we found that the provider did not have suitable policies and procedures in place to ensure that people using the service were protected against the risk of cross infection. There was lack of appropriate guidance for staff on cleanliness and infection control. The decontamination process was not adhered to consistently to ensure that sterilisation of instruments was clearly documented. The provider did not have a recruitment policy and process in place and there were some staff recruited without the appropriate checks having been undertaken. There was a complaints policy in place which was not dated and contained out of date information. Records for staff and patients were not held securely. Therefore there weren’t effective systems in place to ensure that the safety and quality of care was maintained.

People we spoke to during our visit told us that they were happy with the quality of service provided by the clinic. Staff were polite, provided appointments at convenient times and explained treatment options.