During our visit to Caledonia Dental Practice we met with the practice manager and spoke with three members of staff. We spoke with four patients and looked at four sets of patient records.

All of the patients we spoke with were generally happy with the dental treatment they received. One patient said “the dentist told me exactly what I needed to know”. Another said “I have a check-up every three months so that they can keep a check on my condition”. Patients told us they received advice about how to maintain good oral health.

Patients said they were involved in their treatment plans and their permission was sought before any treatment started. One said “the dentist explained that I could have root canal treatment (RCT) again, but that I would be likely to have recurrent problems. I was given the options and I chose to have it [the tooth] extracted”. We saw patients had a treatment plan which they signed as consent to the treatment and costs.

Patients we spoke with told us the practice was always clean and tidy, one said “the cleanliness very good. Staff all use masks and gloves and they have hand sanitizing gel in the hall for patients”. We found current infection control guidelines were followed to reduce the risk of infection.

Staff told us they were supported to carry out their roles. We saw from training records the staff received training specific to their job and received a regular appraisal.

The practice operated a complaints procedure. There had been four complaints which had been responded to in line with the practice’s policy. We saw that patients had received a full written response, including an apology where necessary and options for resolution if appropriate.

At the time of our visit the provider did not have a registered manager at the location [Caledonia Dental Practice]. This was a breach of the provider’s condition of registration. We discussed this breach with the practice manager. They told us they would be completing a registered manager’s application as soon as the provider’s area manager returned from leave.

We met with five people who used the service and spoke with each of them about their experiences. A young person who was referred to the practice for orthodontic treatment (braces) told us this was their second appointment and they anticipated that the brace would be fitted. They told us that they thought it may be an uncomfortable procedure, but that the orthodontist had explained the benefits and the procedure that would be followed. After their appointment the person told us that they were happy with how the procedure had gone, the orthodontist had done their best to relax the person and they were given information about how to care for the brace. They also told us that they were given a clear indication about how long they would need to wear the brace to achieve the corrective alignment of their teeth.

We met another young person who told us they had been visiting the practice for many years. They told us they had never needed treatment but their parent had and they noticed a difference in the health of their parent's teeth and gums. They told us how they visited the practice as a family and were complimentary about the receptionists and dental nurses. They said they would recommend the service to friends.

We met with a person that had a tooth extracted on the day of our visit. They told us they were not looking forward to the experience, but that the dentist had explained fully what would happen. They said that they were given written instructions for after care and were pleased with the overall result.

Other people we spoke with told us about their treatment. One person said the tooth filling they had was completely painless and they “almost fell asleep”. Another said that they were “a bit nervous but the dentist put me at ease”.