We phoned the practice to give two working days' notice of our visit. We spoke with nine people who used the service either in the waiting room or by telephone. We toured the premises, spoke with five staff, the unregistered manager and the area manager for the company. We looked at documents relating to the running of the practice.

People told us they were “very satisfied” with the service. People said they had been very nervous when they first visited the practice but that staff had been “very helpful and helped me to calm down.”

One person said that they attended this surgery because they had mobility problems and the level access made it easy for them to attend. They also said the dentists were very informative and talked through their care needs with them.

We found that there were systems in place to keep the practice clean and hygienic including effective decontamination of instruments in accordance with guidelines. Training and support were provided to maintain a safe service and regular checks were made on machines and systems to ensure this was maintained.

The registered manager had left the practice two weeks before this visit. The company had arranged for the manager of a neighbouring practice to manage Antony Road Dental Centre as well as their original practice.

During our visit we spoke with nine people who were visiting for treatment or examination. They all said that the reception staff were pleasant and helpful, they were made to feel welcome, and the dentists had a pleasant and reassuring manner. They said that dentists had given them treatment options, and discussed their choices with them. People confirmed that they had been offered opportunities to give feedback on the service, with customer satisfaction surveys.

People were pleased that access was easy, with free parking on local streets, and parking spaces for people with blue badge parking permit.

One person told us they were very pleased with a new set of dentures – “They look more natural”.

One told us they had a serious medical condition, and confirmed that the dentist checked their medical history before proceeding.

One person said they would like a hygienist to be available. We saw that a survey was being carried out to see whether there was sufficient demand to engage the services of a hygienist at the practice.