We saw that patients’ views were taken into account in the way the service was provided and delivered. For example, we saw that the provider had introduced a Members Panel. One patient told us that “The practice is very welcoming.” Another patient said “The practice is very pleasant.”

We saw that the practice was a member of the British Dental Association’s (BDA) ‘Good Practice Scheme’. The BDA awarded the practice a good practice plaque in January 2013. This meant that the practice satisfied the schemes requirements which included demonstrating that it complied with nationally recognised standards of good practice.

We looked at five care records and saw that the records included details of each patient’s medical history. These were updated regularly and signed by the patients. The dentists told us that they would verbally check the medical history at each treatment visit.

We saw that the premises were overall visibly clean and tidy. Staff we spoke with were knowledgeable about the decontamination and sterilisation processes they used. One patient we spoke with said “The practice is always clean and tidy.”

We saw documentation which confirmed that all relevant staff employed by the service held current registrations with the General Dental Council (GDC). We also saw documents which confirmed that the service held checks with the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) for all staff. This meant that the service had taken reasonable steps to identify the possibility of abuse and prevent abuse from happening.