The Care Quality Commission
  • Dentist
  • Dentist

Steyning Dental Care Limited Also known as South Cliff Dental Group Steyning

Steyning Health Centre, Tanyard Lane, Steyning, West Sussex, BN44 3RJ (01903) 815687

Provided and run by:
Steyning Dental Care Limited

Important: The provider of this service changed. See old profile

All Inspections

During an assessment under our new approach

We carried out this announced on-site inspection on 24 February 2026.

We found the practice had met all regulations.

Infection control procedures reflected national guidance.

Staff provided care and treatment in line with current guidance.

They treated patients with dignity and respect and ensured access to care, support, and treatment when required.

Improvements should be made to the system for managing the risk associated with the provision of conscious sedation, management of hazardous substances, lone working and the use of sharps.

Recruitment procedures reflected current legislation. However, these had not been consistently followed for all staff.

Although there was a leadership structure, a culture of continuous improvement and quality assurance was not embedded.

Steyning Dental Care Limited is part of South Cliff Dental Group. The practice is in Steyning, West Sussex and provides NHS and private dental care and treatment for adults and children. They also hold an NHS contract to provide dental treatments to adults under intravenous conscious sedation.

The practice is located within Steyning Health Centre, where a number of different health care organisations are located. There was step-free access to the health centre and car parking spaces were available in the neighbouring pay and display carpark. There were dedicated parking spaces for disabled people directly outside the health centre.

The practice had 3 treatment rooms. At the time of our inspection, there was a total of 21 staff. We gathered feedback from staff and spoke to a range of staff during our inspection, including 2 trainee dental nurses, 2 dental therapists, 1 receptionist, 2 members of the head offices team and the practice manager.

 

07 December 2020

During a routine inspection

We carried out this announced inspection on 7 December 2020 under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. We planned the inspection to check whether the registered provider was meeting the legal requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated regulations. The inspection was led by a CQC inspector who was supported by a specialist dental adviser.

To get to the heart of patients’ experiences of care and treatment, we always ask the following five questions:

• Is it safe?

• Is it effective?

• Is it caring?

• Is it responsive to people’s needs?

• Is it well-led?

These questions form the framework for the areas we look at during the inspection.

Our findings were:

Are services safe?

We found that this practice was providing safe care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Are services effective?

We found that this practice was providing effective care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Are services caring?

We found that this practice was providing caring services in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Are services responsive?

We found that this practice was providing responsive care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Are services well-led?

We found that this practice was providing well-led care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Background

The practice is located in Steyning and provides NHS and some private treatment to patients of all ages. It is part of the South Cliff Dental Group which provide general dental services in West Sussex, East Sussex, Kent, Hampshire and Wiltshire. The practice shares its premises with Steyning Health Centre, where a number of different health care organisations are located. The staff team includes two associate dentists, one dental hygienist, two dental nurses, a receptionist and a practice manager. There are three treatment rooms.

The practice is owned by a company and is registered with the Care Quality Commission and as a condition of registration must have a person registered with the Care Quality Commission as the registered manager. A registered manager is legally responsible for the delivery of services for which the practice is registered. At the time of inspection there was no registered manager in post as required as a condition of registration.

The practice is open Monday to Friday from 8.30am to 5.30pm. It also opens about two Saturdays a month by appointment only.

On the day of inspection, we spoke with the chief executive officer, the practice manager, the clinical director, the operations manager, two dentists and two dental nurses. We looked at practice policies and procedures and other records about how the service is managed.

Our key findings were:

  • Premises and equipment were clean and properly maintained and the practice followed national guidance for cleaning, sterilising and storing dental instruments.
  • The provider had systems to help them manage risk to patients and staff.
  • The practice had suitable safeguarding processes and staff knew their responsibilities for safeguarding vulnerable adults and children.
  • The practice had thorough staff recruitment procedures.
  • Staff knew how to deal with emergencies and appropriate medicines and life-saving equipment were available.
  • Patients’ care and treatment was provided in line with current guidelines. Staff provided preventive care and supported patients to ensure better oral health.
  • Staff treated patients with dignity and respect and protected their privacy and personal information.

There were areas where the provider could make improvements. They should:

  • Take action to ensure the regulated activities at the practice are managed by an individual who is registered as a manager.
  • Take action to improve the security of NHS prescription pads in the practice and implement systems to track and monitor their use.
  • Take action to implement an effective staff appraisal system.
  • Implement audits for prescribing of antibiotic medicines taking into account the guidance provided by the Faculty of General Dental Practice.

11 January 2018

During a routine inspection

We carried out this announced inspection on 11January 2018 under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. We planned the inspection to check whether the registered provider was meeting the legal requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated regulations. The inspection was led by a CQC inspector who was supported by a specialist dental adviser.

We told NHS England and Healthwatch that we were inspecting the practice. They did not provide any information.

To get to the heart of patients’ experiences of care and treatment, we always ask the following five questions:

• Is it safe?

• Is it effective?

• Is it caring?

• Is it responsive to people’s needs?

• Is it well-led?

These questions form the framework for the areas we look at during the inspection.

Our findings were:

Are services safe?

We found that this practice was providing safe care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Are services effective?

We found that this practice was providing effective care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Are services caring?

We found that this practice was providing caring services in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Are services responsive?

We found that this practice was providing responsive care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Are services well-led?

We found that this practice was providing well-led care in accordance with the relevant regulations.

Background

Steyning Dental Care is located in Steyning. It provides NHS and private treatment to patients of all ages.

The practice occupies premises on the second floor of Steyning Health Centre. There are three treatment rooms, a decontamination room and a reception area and a separate patient waiting room. The practice holds contracts to provide NHS treatment, minor oral surgery and conscious sedation.

The dental team includes one associate dentist, two locum dentists, one dental hygienist, two dental nurses, one trainee dental nurse, two part time receptionists and a practice manager who performs a dual role as a receptionist.

The practice is owned by a company and is registered with the Care Quality Commission as part of Southern Dental organisation. As a condition of registration they must have a person registered with the Care Quality Commission as the registered manager. Registered managers have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated regulations about how the practice is run. The registered manager at Steyning Dental Care was the practice manager.

During the inspection we spoke with two dentists, one nurse, two receptionists, the practice manager and the regional clinical lead and compliance manager for the company. We looked at practice policies and procedures and other records about how the service is managed.

On the day of inspection we spoke with four patients and collected 19 comments cards that were completed prior to the inspection.

The practice is open: Monday to Thursday from 8.30am to 5.30pm and Friday from 9am to 5pm.

Our key findings were:

  • The practice appeared clean and well maintained.
  • The practice had infection control procedures which reflected published guidance.
  • Staff knew how to deal with emergencies. Appropriate medicines and life-saving equipment were available.
  • The practice had systems to help them manage risk.
  • The practice had suitable safeguarding processes and staff knew their responsibilities for safeguarding adults and children.
  • The practice had thorough staff recruitment procedures.
  • The clinical staff provided patients’ care and treatment in line with current guidelines.
  • Staff treated patients with dignity and respect and took care to protect their privacy and personal information.
  • The appointment system met patients’ needs.
  • The practice asked staff and patients for feedback about the services they provided.
  • The practice dealt with complaints in an appropriate manner.

We found areas where the provider could make improvements and should:

  • Review the practice’s system for documentation of actions taken, and learning shared, in response to incidents with a view to preventing further occurrences and ensuring that improvements are made as a result.
  • Review the practice’s audit protocols to ensure audits of various aspects of the service, such as radiography are undertaken at regular intervals to help improve the quality of service. The practice should also ensure that where appropriate audits have documented learning points and the resulting improvements can be demonstrated.
  • Review the ways in which governance arrangements were overseen and monitored by the company.

9 September 2013

During a routine inspection

During our inspection we spoke with patients in the waiting area of the practice. Most of the patients we spoke with were positive about their experience of using this dental practice. They told us that they had “A good experience today.” Another patient told us that they were able to arrange the appointment when it when suited them (the patient).

We saw that patient’s views were taken into account in the way the service was provided and delivered. For example, one patient told us that they were given treatment options and said “I was involved deciding my treatment.”

We found that the practice maintained patient records which included up to date medical histories, medical alerts and treatment plans. We looked at five patients care records. Staff told us that the dentist would verbally check the medical history at each treatment visit. The records demonstrated that dentist got consent from patients before they started any treatment.

We saw that the premises were visibly clean and tidy. There was hand gel available for patients and visitors at the reception. Staff we spoke with spoke knowledgeably about decontamination and sterilisation processes they used. One patient we spoke with said “This is a very clean and tidy surgery.”

We saw that the practice had appropriate systems in place to manage emergencies. We saw evidence that equipment was routinely serviced and maintained.

We saw documentation which confirmed that all relevant staff employed by the service held current registrations with their professional body the General Dental Council (GDC). We also saw documents which confirmed that the practice held checks with the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) for all staff. This meant that the service had taken reasonable steps to identify the possibility of abuse and prevent abuse from happening.