Patients told us they were very happy with the service. One patient said, 'I think it's great. The service is good, the staff welcoming and the practice is clean.' Another patient said, 'overall, we've been delighted. We like the place.' A number of patients spoke about a professional and patient approach. One patient said that staff's manner was, 'professional and reassuring,' and another patient said the dentist was, 'always very patient and discusses options.' Patients said that they were always informed of what was to happen. One patient said, 'communication is very good. They go out of their way to explain what they will do.' Another patient said, 'we are kept informed."
Patients told us they were treated with respect. One patient said, 'I'm put at ease when I'm here.' The treatment plans we saw contained clear information for patients and had been signed by them. Relevant health information had been obtained. Staff had been provided with a range of training. Patients had been asked to give their views via a patient survey and there was relevant information about the service and how patients could complain on display in the waiting area.
The dental surgery was clean and tidy. There were records confirming that the decontamination equipment had been serviced regularly and that daily checks were being undertaken. However, there was no written record of the audit of the decontamination process and the written guidelines for the manual cleaning of instruments and the infection control policy did not fully cover the manual cleaning process. The absence of this paperwork meant that possible risks of infection to patients were not being assessed and controlled.