We carried out an announced comprehensive inspection on 21 August 2015 to ask the practice the following key questions; Are services safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led?

Our findings were:

Are services safe?

We found that this practice was providing safe care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Are services effective?

We found that this practice was providing effective care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Are services caring?

We found that this practice was providing caring services in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Are services responsive?

We found that this practice was providing responsive care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Are services well-led?

We found that this practice was providing well-led care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

We carried out this review to check on the care and welfare of people using this service. We also looked at the cleanliness of the service and the infection control systems that were in place.

Our visit was discussed and arranged three days in advance. This was to ensure that we had time to see and speak to staff working at the practice, as well as people registered with the service.

As part of our review, we talked with three people on the telephone before and after our visit, and three people during our visit about the service they received. Everyone we spoke with told us they were happy with the service and would recommend the practice to family and friends. Some of these people also told us about the opinions of other people in their family and how their children were treated at the dental practice, which were also positive. People we spoke with had used the practice for many years and comments included, “We’ve always been happy here, I wouldn’t dream of leaving.” and “My family have used this service for many years; we’ve always received a good service.”

People said the staff were very gentle and considered their anxieties and how to reduce any stress. They said their examinations and treatment were thorough, and generally included regular checks of their teeth, gums and soft tissues areas.

People could consider their treatment options and any costs involved and did not have to make a decision immediately. Treatment could be arranged at a convenient time, and people told us they did not experience any lengthy delays.

People we spoke with said everything always looked clean and they were satisfied with the standards of cleanliness. We saw there were good standards of hygiene and infection control practices in place.