Archived: Atherstone Dental Practice

We spoke with patients who use the practice both on the day of the visit and before and after the visit, on the telephone. We also spoke with staff, two of the partners of the practice and the practice manager. The practice manager is yet to register with the Commission, but we were told that this process had started. The practice manager is not a clinical nurse; therefore support to nursing staff on clinical issues is given by one of the partners, a qualified dental nurse.

We asked people about their experiences of the practice and how the practice was managed to reach the required standards. People we spoke with said they were very happy with the service they received. They told us, 'they do a good job' and 'they always explain everything.'

We found that the practice surgery was upstairs, so that people with some mobility problems would not be able to use this practice. One person told us 'I am rather out of breath when I get to the top.' The manager said that people with severe mobility problems were referred to another local practice and that they did not visit people at home.

We asked about the availability of appointments and if they had to wait over their appointment time to be seen. A high number of people asked, said that they had to wait well over their appointment time, sometimes over half an hour. One person said that there was normally a wait of 10 minutes.

We asked about receiving treatment as an emergency. The manager told us that they did not hold appointments for emergencies but allowed people to come in whenever they needed, on the understanding that they had to wait. On the day of the visit, we saw people using the practice for emergency treatments.

Staff spoken with told us that they were very happy working at the practice and that they felt they received a good level of training and support from the managers and said that they were 'approachable.'.

We undertook a tour of the practice; looked at systems in place and asked people about the cleanliness and hygiene practices.

People we spoke with said everything always looked clean and that there were good standards of personal hygiene. People confirmed that the dentists and nurses always wore disposable gloves.

Staff told us there was always a sufficient supply of gloves, aprons, hand wash, gels and other items required to ensure good standards of care. They told us that they had attended training in the decontamination of equipment and infection control. Staff said they felt confident with the procedures and that there was additional guidance to follow if needed. Staff were able to show us the decontamination process and describe how the equipment was monitored to ensure it was working efficiently.