In March 2014, the ownership of the practice changed. All of the existing staff remain and had been joined by a new dentist in April 2014. The dentist told us they had been appointed by the manager as the clinical lead dentist. The registered manager who is also the nominated individual was not present at this announced inspection.

We spoke with one patient during our inspection and another three patients over the telephone about their experiences at the practice. We looked at a range of records and spoke with three members of staff – two dental nurses and the clinical lead dentist.

We asked five key questions:

Is the service safe? All the patients we spoke with told us they felt safe. Processes were in place to learn from accidents, emergencies, and complaints to reduce risks to patients. Recruitment practice was an area, which required improvement.

Is the service effective? Patients told us they were given treatment choices and felt involved in their treatment. All of the patients we spoke with told us that their dental needs had been met by appropriate treatments. Most patients told us the care and treatment they had received had been effective.

Is the service caring? Patients told us the practice staff were kind and caring. We saw a patient who was spoken to in a friendly but respectful manner. Patients told us that staff explained treatment choices to them. Patient privacy and dignity was maintained whilst appointments were underway.

Is the service responsive? We spoke with a patient who had attended for an emergency appointment they told us they were seen promptly by the dentist. The practice had emergency appointment slots available every day.

Is the service well-led? There was a strong self-reliant team at the practice with systems in place to identify and reduce risks and monitor the quality of service patients experienced. The registered manager had delegated responsibilities to the clinical lead dentist who brought strong leadership to the team. Patients were confident providing feedback and were satisfied with improvements that were made to the service. Staff felt well supported and team meetings were used to discuss, learn and improve the service for patients using the practice. For example, current guidance about when to use protection for patients and staff during the taking x-rays had been discussed so staff were aware of the latest research on the matter.