University of Bristol Dental School

On this page

• Overview
• Shared direction and culture
• Capable, compassionate and inclusive leaders
• Freedom to speak up
• Workforce equality, diversity and inclusion
• Governance, management and sustainability
• Partnerships and communities
• Learning, improvement and innovation

We found this dental school was providing well-led care in accordance with the relevant regulations and had taken into consideration appropriate guidance.

Find out what we look at when we assess this area in our information about our new Single assessment framework.

The judgement for Shared direction and culture is based on the latest evidence we assessed for the Well-led key question.

The judgement for Capable, compassionate and inclusive leaders is based on the latest evidence we assessed for the Well-led key question.

The judgement for Freedom to speak up is based on the latest evidence we assessed for the Well-led key question.

The judgement for Workforce equality, diversity and inclusion is based on the latest evidence we assessed for the Well-led key question.

We found staff to be open to discussion and feedback.

The dental school staff demonstrated a transparent and open culture in relation to people’s safety.

Staff told us there was strong leadership with emphasis on people’s safety and continually striving to improve.

Staff told us they had clear responsibilities, roles and systems of accountability to support good governance and management.

Feedback from staff was obtained through meetings, surveys, and informal discussions. Staff were encouraged to offer suggestions for improvements to the service, and they said these were listened to and acted upon, where appropriate. For example, in response to nursing staff request, Clinical Leads were invited to attend the monthly finance meetings enabling them to have a better understanding of departmental budgets and how to share materials across the building to utilise within expiry dates.

Staff stated they felt respected, supported and valued. They were proud to work in the dental school. We saw the dental school had effective processes to support and develop staff with additional roles and responsibilities.

Staff told us how they collected and responded to feedback from patients, the public and external partners. Results were published on their website.

The dental school had taken steps to improve environmental sustainability. Improvements included moving to bamboo cups, plastic-free wipes, and plastic-free aspirating tips. Switching to local suppliers to further reduce carbon footprint and grouping deliveries so that they only receive a delivery from suppliers once a week.

We were told that on numerous occasions, the nursing team went ‘above and beyond’ to check on the arrival of transport for patients and waited with them until they were collected. Sometimes this involved providing them with food and drinks.

Systems and processes were embedded, and staff worked together in such a way that the inspection did not highlight any significant issues or omissions. Where the inspection identified areas which could be improved these were acted on immediately.

The information and evidence presented during the inspection was clear and well documented.

The dental school had a governance system which included policies, protocols and procedures that were accessible to all members of staff and were reviewed on a regular basis.

Relevant policies and protocols were in place for the use of closed-circuit television (CCTV).

The dental school had information governance arrangements and staff were aware of the importance of protecting patients’ personal information.

Staff password protected patients’ electronic care records, and paper records were stored securely and complied with General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR).

We saw there were clear and effective processes for identifying and managing risks, issues and performance.

The dental school had systems to review and investigate incidents and accidents, and for receiving and acting on safety alerts.

The dental school responded to concerns and complaints appropriately. Staff discussed outcomes to share learning and improve the service.

The dental school had systems and processes for learning, quality assurance and continuous improvement. This included undertaking audits according to recognised guidance.

The dental school was recognised for its sustainability efforts through a gold award from University College London’s laboratory efficiency assessment framework (LEAF), an independent standard to rate sustainability and efficiency in laboratory environments. This award recognised the design and operation within the dental school’s production laboratory, prosthetics teaching suite, and clinical skills suite spaces.

The judgement for Partnerships and communities is based on the latest evidence we assessed for the Well-led key question.

The judgement for Learning, improvement and innovation is based on the latest evidence we assessed for the Well-led key question.