We spoke with six people when we visited the practice who were attending for treatment or check ups. They each told us “Waiting times are very good, I trust my dentist” and “I would highly recommend my dentist”. We were told that they were involved in making decisions about treatment plans, were given explanations about any options available, and were informed of costs involved.

Almondsbury dental practice had three dentists, one hygienist, three dental nurses and two reception staff.

The dentists and dental nurses who worked at the surgery had Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) disclosures in place (now called DBS – Disclosure and Barring Service). These checks were undertaken to ensure they were suitable to work with vulnerable people and children.

People were cared for in a clean, hygienic environment. People that we spoke with said that the surgery was always clean and that they had no concerns about cleanliness or risk of infection. The dental nurse we spoke with told us that they were responsible for cleaning the dental treatment area between peoples’ treatment and the cleanliness of the whole treatment room at the end of each day. We asked about the arrangements in place for the decontamination of dental instruments.