Accreditation & Certification
142 Practices Converted. Zero Failed Their Next CQC Waste Audit.
Sustain audits your practice down to the last suction tip — replacing single-use plastics, mercury-laden amalgam waste, and chemical-heavy sterilization cycles with closed-loop systems that cut disposal costs and pass green accreditation on the first attempt.
The Numbers
Traditional Practice vs.
Sustain-Converted
Five line items. Real data from 142 converted practices. Click any row to read the case study behind the number.
Case Study — Greenfield Dental, Leeds (6 surgery): After switching to segregated waste streams and a reusable instrument kit programme, their annual collection invoice dropped from £22,400 to £8,100 within 11 months. The practice passed its CQC environment review without a single advisory note.
Case Study — Harbour View Dental, Bristol: Replacing two ageing Class B units with a single low-temperature plasma sterilizer and implementing Sustain's load-consolidation protocol cut sterilization energy costs by 59%. Payback period: 26 months. ISO 14001 certification achieved in month 4.
Case Study — Northgate Dental Group, Manchester (12 surgeries): Switching to reusable silicone bibs and autoclavable suction systems across all sites reduced annual single-use procurement spend from £18,600 per surgery to £11,200 — a group-wide saving of £88,800 annually, which the CFO presented as an ESG metric in the NHS contract renewal.
Case Study — Park Lane Dental, London: Before Sustain, the practice had accumulated £6,200 in CQC advisory remediation costs over 18 months. Post-conversion, their next CQC inspection received a "Good" rating across all waste management domains. Zero penalty costs in the 24 months since.
Case Study — Elm Tree Dental, Edinburgh: Six months after displaying their IfE Gold and NHS Green Plan badges in the waiting room and on Google Business, the practice saw a 34% increase in new patient bookings citing "sustainable practice" as their reason for choosing. Their Google rating moved from 3.9 to 4.7.
Data derived from 142 converted practices, 2021–2026. Figures represent medians; individual results vary by practice size, location, and existing waste contracts. Full methodology available in the Benchmark Report.
Client Practices
Your neighbours
already switched.
142 practices across England, Scotland, and Wales have completed the Sustain conversion programme.
See Your Waste Score“The Sustain audit found £34,000 in annual savings we didn’t know existed. We passed our NHS Green Plan review without a single corrective action.”
The Process
From invoice shock
to certified.
Three stages. No guesswork. A fixed timeline from first audit to framed certificate on the wall.
The Waste Audit
1 day on-siteA Sustain consultant visits your practice and audits every waste stream — clinical, hazardous, offensive, and recyclable. We measure autoclave cycles, photograph segregation errors, and pull three months of contractor invoices. You receive a 24-page Waste Score report within 5 working days.
Outcome
“Baseline established. Every cost and compliance gap identified.”
The Conversion Plan
2–4 weeksWe design your closed-loop replacement programme: specifying reusable instrument kits, low-temperature sterilization equipment, approved amalgam capture systems, and revised SOPs aligned to HTM 07-01. We handle supplier negotiation and staff training schedules.
Outcome
“Every single-use item has a compliant, cost-lower replacement.”
Certification & Ongoing
Month 3 onwardsWe submit your accreditation applications to IfE, BDA Good Practice, and NHS Green Plan on your behalf. We attend your first CQC inspection as an advisory observer. Post-certification, a quarterly data review ensures savings compound and compliance holds.
Outcome
“100% first-attempt accreditation rate across 142 practices.”
Your practice is paying
for waste you could eliminate.
The average practice we audit finds £38,550 in annual savings it didn’t know existed. The assessment takes one day. The savings last indefinitely. There is no obligation beyond the audit.