Great Cornard Dental Practice

On this page

• Overview
• Learning culture
• Safe systems, pathways and transitions
• Safeguarding
• Involving people to manage risks
• Safe environments
• Safe and effective staffing
• Infection prevention and control
• Medicines optimisation

We found this practice was providing safe care in accordance with the relevant regulations and had taken into consideration appropriate guidance.

The provider had made improvements to put right shortfalls and had responded to the regulatory breaches we found at our inspection on 27 January 2025 and 22 January 2026.

Although there are issues to be addressed, the impact of our concerns relates to the governance and the oversight of the risks, rather than a patient safety risk.

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

The judgement for Learning culture is based on the latest evidence we assessed for the Safe key question.

The judgement for Safe systems, pathways and transitions is based on the latest evidence we assessed for the Safe key question.

The judgement for Safeguarding is based on the latest evidence we assessed for the Safe key question.

The judgement for Involving people to manage risks is based on the latest evidence we assessed for the Safe key question.

Staff and leaders told us of the systems in place to manage risks for patients, staff, equipment and the premises.

At the inspection on 21 April 2026, we found the practice had made some improvements to comply with the regulation:

The practice ensured equipment was safe to use, maintained and serviced according to manufacturers’ instructions. Improvements had been made to ensure the facilities were maintained in accordance with regulations.

A practice-based health and safety risk assessment had been undertaken which identified and reviewed some potential risks within the practice.

A gas safety inspection had been completed for the staff room boiler.

Improvement had been made to the systems for ensuring appropriate and safe handling of medicines and medical emergency equipment. Checks were now in place to ensure medicines and emergency equipment did not pass their expiry dates.

Improvements had been made to the fire safety management procedures. A fire evacuation drill had been carried out in line with regulation, we noted this had been timed and all staff were present.

Training records reviewed showed staff had completed recommended fire awareness training.

Emergency evacuation plans where in place and now included identifying the needs of vulnerable people using the service. Staff described the actions they would take in the event of a fire or emergency at the practice and how they would evacuate different areas of the practice.

COSHH risk assessments had been completed, referenced Great Cornard Dental Practice and were stored with the relevant data sheets. These had been reviewed and updated and were accessible to staff.

We observed hazardous substances were stored securely.

The practice had also made further improvements:

We were told by the receptionist that quotes had been obtained to redecorate those areas in the reception area where building work had previously been undertaken and where surfaces were recently plastered or had suffered staining from the laying of flooring, an estimate to tidy and maintain the overgrown rear garden area has also been obtained.

At the inspection on 21 April 2026, we found the practice had made the following improvements:

Some systems were in place to ensure that recruitment procedures complied with the requirements of the regulation. However, evidence that all required pre employment checks were carried out for staff who had recently joined the practice, was not available. We were told that a basic disclosure and barring service check (DBS) had been completed which was stored on the providers phone, but we were unable to review any other checks or references during our inspection. We will follow-up on these recommendations at our next assessment.

We found DBS checks for all staff working at the practice had been completed.

Improvements had been made to the system for ensuring all staff had adequate immunity to Hepatitis B. We saw evidence of titre levels for all clinical members of staff.

A risk assessment was in place for the member of staff who was pregnant.

The practice had made improvements to procedures for reducing and managing the risk of Legionella, or other bacteria, developing in water systems. A new Legionella risk assessment had been completed on 17 February 2026, and we were told the recommendations were currently being implemented. We will follow-up on these recommendations at our next assessment.

Records of water testing in nonclinical areas had been undertaken since our previous inspection in January 2026 and were in line with risk assessment recommendations. However, there were no surgery records or logs to confirm dental water lines were regularly flushed.

Scale deposits were no longer visible on the outlets in the ground floor decontamination room.

There were no cleaning logs for the treatment room to demonstrate cleaning was completed at the start and end of the session and between patients. We will follow-up on these recommendations at our next assessment.

Staff understanding of what procedures they should follow in the decontamination room were improved. Checks were undertaken on the ultrasonic bath and logs of checks in the decontamination room were being recorded regularly when in use.

Information from the autoclave data logger had been downloaded and recorded in line with the manufacturer’s guidance when the practice was operational since our previous inspection.

Logs of checks to demonstrate the ultrasonic bath was operating effectively were in place.

The practice reception area, decontamination and treatment room were clean.

Surfaces in the decontamination room were clean and less cluttered to enable effective cleaning and to maintain infection control standards.

Schedules and logs to demonstrate cleaning of the dental practice including the reception, waiting room, decontamination room and patient/staff toilet were in place. We were told that staff undertook the cleaning of the practice.

Cleaning equipment such as mops were stored appropriately.

The judgement for Medicines optimisation is based on the latest evidence we assessed for the Safe key question.