We spoke to four patients who all stated they were happy with the care and support they received at the practice. We observed that patient’s views and experiences were taken into account and that their needs were being met.

We observed that the practice was meeting the national decontamination standards.

We saw that staff were appropriately trained and being allowed to undertake Continuous Professional Development CPD and that dental nurse training was being offered to others.

We carried out a comprehensive inspection of Gosport Dental Centre on 18 May 2015.

Gosport Dental Centre is a five surgery, ground floor practice which is part of Integrated Dental Holdings and is situated in Gosport. It offers private and NHS dental care services weekdays between 9.00am and 5.30pm to patients of all ages. The services provided includes preventative advice and treatment together with routine and restorative dental care.

The practice has four dentists, one hygienist, four dental nurses, three trainee dental nurses, three reception staff and a practice management team. The practice manager is registered with the Care Quality Commission as the Registered Manager. This person is legally responsible for making sure that the practice meets the requirements relating to safety and quality of care, as specified in the regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

We reviewed 47 completed CQC comment cards, gathered views of 18 patients on the day of our inspection and reviewed patient feedback gathered by the practice over the last 12 months. Patients who completed comment cards were positive about the care they received from the practice. They commented that staff were very friendly and caring and that dentists listened, were professional and took time to explain every step of treatment. Of the 65 people who provided feedback, five said their waiting time to see a dentist was sometimes longer than expected and two commented about appointments being cancelled.

We found that this practice was providing safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Our key findings were:

• The practice assessed and managed risks to patients. These included infection prevention and control, health and safety and the management of medical emergencies.
• Staff ensured patients gave their consent before treatment began. Dental care records we looked at were detailed and showed on-going monitoring of patients’ oral health.
• Staff had received training appropriate to their roles.
• Staff were knowledgeable about patient confidentiality and we observed good interaction between staff and patients during the inspection.
• Patients were able to make routine and emergency appointments when needed. There were clear instructions for patients regarding out of hours care.
• There were clearly defined leadership roles in place and staff told us they felt well supported and comfortable to raise concerns or make suggestions.