Archived: Peterlee Dental Practice

We were told the practice ensured that national and local guidance about safeguarding people was made accessible to all staff. The practice manager said she and all the practice nursing staff, dentists and the reception staff had been trained in all aspects of the safeguarding processes for both children and vulnerable adults.

The practice adhered to the code of practice on the prevention and control of infections and related local guidance.

The Practice manager explained the systems the practice had in place to check quality and to manage risk. She said it was important to gather information about the safety and the quality of the service by carrying out regular audits. She also said feedback from patient surveys helped the practice to maintain high standards and implement changes where needed.

We were unable to speak with people using the dental practice because the waiting room was very busy and we were unable to speak to people in private. However we gathered evidence of people's experiences of the service by reviewing comment cards and patient surveys.

All of these were extremely positive, comments included,

'I always receive an excellent service.'

'The staff team are always very friendly.'

'I have complete faith in my dentist.'

'My treatments are always fully explained.'

'There was no need for me to have an injection during my treatment, and it was completely pain free.'

'This is the best practice I have ever used.'