Oxford Street Dental Centre

We saw the provider had made changes to address concerns about the monitoring of the quality of service provision. This meant the provider had implemented an effective system to regularly assess and monitor the quality of service people received.

We met the practice new manager who had been in post since March 2014 but was not yet registered with us. They told us they had just submitted their application for registration.

We spoke with three members of staff who told us improvements had been made since our previous visit. One staff member told us 'the new manager is great. We are treated as equals and she gives good leadership'. Another member of staff told us 'the new manager pulls things together. Since she came we have had more training, staff meetings and support'. A third member of staff told us 'she listens and acts and the practice is a happier place'.

We spoke with three patients who used the service. All patients told they felt safe at the practice and the staff were caring and responsive to them. One patient said "they're good dentists who give prompt treatment'. Another patient told us 'we have no concerns and they are very child friendly which is good for the family'. While the third patient told us 'my dentist is great. I have every confidence in them'.

We met the practice manager who had been in post since September 2013 but was not yet registered with us. The provider told us the manager would be applying for registration. We spoke with 11 members of staff who told us improvements had been made since our previous visit.

We spoke with six people who used the service. One person said 'There is no problem getting through on the phone'. Another said 'Sometimes they can be disorganised. They are always really busy'. One person told us 'the receptionists are always happy and helpful. The only downside is the steps but there is nothing more they can do there'.

One person told us what they thought of their dentist. They said 'yes, very good, excellent. They talk through everything, always friendly, lovely person'. Another person commented about their dentist 'she's very good; I'm a nervous patient. I need someone that is calm and explains things. This is what she does best. I was in pain and was treated straight away and have been here ever since'.

One person told us "best dentist ever had'. Another person told us their daughter who was very scared now attends the practice regularly. We observed people were treated with courtesy and found that overall people felt they received a good service.

We saw, and were told by people we spoke with, people were provided with good dental care and treatment. We saw people were offered choices about treatment options which had been explained to them.

The practice had no disabled access and there were limited arrangements in place to communicate with people whose first language was not English.

We spoke with seven members of staff about the running of the practice and the support they received from management. They told us the practice had been without a manager for 'a long time' and 'sometimes there are problems'. We were told the company had implemented interim management arrangements. However we saw, and were told, that the lack of management continuity and leadership had led to a number of gaps in service provision.