At our previous inspection of this service we identified concerns regarding the provider’s ability to protect patients using the service and others from the risks from healthcare associated infections and asked them to take action.

Prior to this inspection we reviewed information the provider had sent us. At the inspection we spoke with the practice manager, a dental nurse and looked at one of the treatment rooms.

We found that the provider had taken action and patients were protected from the risks of healthcare associated infection because the provider had implemented updated infection control policies and procedures and purchased equipment which staff now used to reduce the risk and spread of infection.

The provider acted on risks which had been identified as part of their quality monitoring systems.

We spoke with people who use the service. They told us staff were friendly and approachable and spoke to them in a respectful way. People told us staff treated them with dignity and communicated well. One person told us “They are always very polite and very respectful”.

People told us they had discussed the treatment options available to them and felt they were able to make informed choices about their treatment. One person said “She (the dentist) always tells you the price, you never feel rushed.” This shows that people who use the service understood the care and treatment choices available to them. None of the people we spoke with had experienced any difficulty in making appointments. One person said “They always try to get you in straight away”

People told us they felt the practice delivered care and treatment in a way that met their needs; they felt safe at the service and never seen anything of concern. They felt the practice was clean and staff always wore gloves and other protective clothing to prevent cross contamination; this was confirmed by our observation on the day. We saw that the practice had systems to reduce the risk of infection. However we saw these systems were not always followed.

People told us they had the opportunity to complete patient comment forms and a satisfaction survey. The practice patient information leaflet contained information about opening times, emergency contacts, fees and the complaints procedure. The practice had procedures to monitor the quality and safety of the service however we found these were not always acted on.