During our inspection we spoke to a total of three staff, one dentist, one dental nurse and a receptionist. We also spoke with the area manager and provider who were present on the day of inspection. We also looked at records to help us understand the needs and views of the patients who used the service. These included a patient satisfaction survey, minutes of staff meetings and the surgery’s complaints log. We also spoke to five patients.

The patients we spoke with said that they received excellent dental treatment at this practice. One patient told us, “It’s a wonderful service and I have great faith in the dentist”. The dentist told us, “I enjoy the people and I always go that extra distance” and “I build a relationship with the patients”. The dental nurse told us, “The dentist has a great relationship with the patients and I have a great working relationship with him”. The receptionist told us” We communicate well with the patients and as a team”.

We were told the practice provided emergency cover for patients. This was confirmed when we spoke to the patients who used the service. The dentist we spoke with said, “We always try to treat the patients on the day they present with an emergency”. We were told that on rare occasions when this is not possible, patients are given the option of being treated at another surgery.

We found that the practice was following infection control policies and staff demonstrated they had a good understanding of infection control procedures. Staff told us they had high standards of infection control. The patients we spoke to told us that they were happy with the cleanliness and infection control each time they attend the surgery.

All the staff we spoke with knew their roles in protecting vulnerable adults and children and had received recent Safeguarding and Mental Capacity Act training. The practice had systems in place to assess and continually review the service that it provides and was making improvements where needed. We found that patients were involved in the planning of their care and treatment and were consulted about the treatment options available to them.