University of Bristol Dental School

On this page

• Overview
• Kindness, compassion and dignity
• Treating people as individuals
• Independence, choice and control
• Responding to people’s immediate needs
• Workforce wellbeing and enablement

We found this dental school was providing caring services 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.

During our visit we obtained the views of 22 patients.

Twenty patients told us they knew how to complain if they had an issue.

Patient feedback provided a positive view of the dental team and care provided by the dental school. Patient comments included that staff were welcoming and attentive, acted with integrity, and showed compassion.

Patients said staff were professional, courteous, and considerate. The feedback we received on the day of our visit aligned with a patient satisfaction survey that was carried in December 2024. Results of the December survey indicated that 91% of respondents said that reception staff were friendly and welcoming, and 99% said the clinical team were professional and courteous. All of the survey respondents said they would recommend the dental school to their friends and family.

Staff were aware of their responsibility to respect people’s diversity and human rights.

Staff were aware of the importance of privacy and confidentiality.

The school used electronic information screens to provide summary feedback to patients and were in the process of developing a page on its website to encourage patient feedback. We were told that the dental school had formed a Patient Forum.

Leaders described how they supported the wellbeing of staff by running social events throughout the year with all-staff events taking place after the student term-time had finished in Summer and after students left at the end of the calendar year. During the Festival of Dentistry, the school promoted social interaction for staff, and provided an all-staff lunch, and included wellbeing activities such as massage and reiki.

Staff were encouraged to engage with other dental school activities outside of their usual workplace to encourage mixing and engagement between teams. In the staff and student bulletins, wellbeing activities such as yoga, games, and gardening were promoted.

The University offered staff the opportunity to work flexibly which included taking carers leave. Staff with administrative duties could work from home and were provided with equipment to do this. The University also provided staff an Employee Assistance Programme and Staff Counselling.

The judgement for Treating people as individuals is based on the latest evidence we assessed for the Caring key question.

The judgement for Independence, choice and control is based on the latest evidence we assessed for the Caring key question.

The judgement for Responding to people’s immediate needs is based on the latest evidence we assessed for the Caring key question.

The judgement for Workforce wellbeing and enablement is based on the latest evidence we assessed for the Caring key question.