22 July 2013
During a routine inspection
During our visit, we spoke with the practice manager, the practice support manager, the lead dental nurse, a trainee dental nurse, two receptionists and one patient who used the service. At the time of our visit the practice manager had been in post for five weeks.
The practice employed four self-employed associate dentists, a hygienist, six dental nurses, two receptionists and a cleaner.
The patient we spoke with told us:-
'I've been coming here for 19 years, it's very clean and the staff are very good. Appointments are usually on time ' except for today!'
We saw from the records that patients gave consent before receiving any treatment.
All of the clinical areas of the practice looked clean and well-maintained. This was confirmed by the staff and patient we spoke with.
Staff we spoke with told us they were confident the service provided was good. They said they received training appropriate to their role and felt well-supported by their managers. One of them said 'We're all part of the team and we all have an input.'
We saw evidence that the complaints process was advertised in the reception area and complaints made were investigated appropriately.