The practice consists of a senior dentist and two other dentists, a practice manager, six dental nurses and a receptionist.

This inspection was discussed and arranged with the practice a few days in advance. This was to ensure that we had time to see and speak with staff working at the practice, as well as people registered with the practice. We were told that 98% of the services were based upon the NHS scheme.

As part of our inspection visit we spoke with three people who were attending the practice, the senior dentist, the practice manager and a dental nurse. We were given five questionnaires that people had completed and later spoke with two more by telephone. We reviewed four dental records, looked at two staff files, written policies and procedures and quality audits.

The people we spoke with told us that staff were courteous and helpful, one person said:

“The staff are friendly and helpful.”

People confirmed that the dentists talked to them about treatment options so that they could make informed decisions. One person said:

“They give you options and tell you which is the best and why.”

We saw that people were relaxed and comfortable with the way in which staff spoke with them. We observed people asking questions and staff responded appropriately to them.

People told us that they were always provided with protective equipment to protect their eyes and clothing when they were receiving treatments. During our visits we saw that the practice was clean and orderly and that staff used hygienic techniques.

We found that senior staff supported and put systems in place for dental nurses to carry out their roles effectively.

The practice had developed a good system for auditing the standards of the service to enable them to make ongoing improvements, as required.