When we inspected Hudson's Dental Practice on 10 October 2013 we reviewed four people's care plans. These showed us that every time people visited the practice their dental health and general well-being was checked to make sure that before any treatment commenced the person was well enough for it to be carried out. We saw from the dental records that treatment options and explanations were given before treatment commenced. One person said, "I have been coming here for more than thirty years and have always had good service. The dentists are gentle and kind. Everything is explained.' Another told us, 'I haven't been coming here for long, but everyone is nice and the surroundings are very relaxing.'
On the day of our inspection the surgeries and waiting areas were all clean. However, the area where decontamination and sterilisation of instruments took place was visibly dirty. There was no process to ensure the premises were cleaned systematically, or for checking that cleaning had been carried out.
We saw evidence that staff received appropriate professional development and were supported by regular training, updates and annual appraisal. However, the appraisal system was in its early stages and all appraisals were incomplete.
There was no system in place to gain feedback from customers to gauge people's satisfaction. Furthermore, there was no robust system in place to identify risks to people who use the service and measure the quality of service provided.