Dental expertise key to new start for CQC
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- Published: Sunday, 29 November -0001 23:58
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The Care Quality Commission (CQC) must properly understand the reality of primary care dentistry if it is to make a fresh start in regulating the sector, the British Dental Association (BDA) has warned. Martin Fallowfield, the BDA PEC Chair, said: “We are pleased to see the CQC articulating its intention to make a new start. Dental practices have, thus far, endured a mixed experience of the organisation.
Responding to the consultation A new start, the BDA has said that the absence of a dental lead clinician at CQC, with dental responsibility sitting instead under an overall primary care lead, could limit the organisation’s understanding. There are significant differences between medicine and dentistry and understanding them will be vital to the organisation’s work, the BDA believes.
The BDA response also says that proposals for ratings and the establishment of ‘fundamentals of care’ need re-consideration. Proposals for rating are likely to duplicate activity emerging from the development of a dental quality and outcomes framework and many of the draft ‘fundamentals of care’ are already subject to contractual or regulatory requirements, the BDA points out.
A proposal to move to a risk-based inspection regime wins the BDA’s support. Dental practices have performed strongly against the CQC’s standards according to a report published by CQC in December 2012.
Dr Martin Fallowfield, the Chair of the BDA’s Principal Executive Committee, said:
“We are pleased to see the CQC articulating its intention to make a new start. Dental practices have, thus far, endured a mixed experience of the organisation, with many practitioners experiencing practical problems registering and BDA calls for proportionate, non-duplicative regulation seemingly going unheeded. As the CQC itself now recognises, dental practices have achieved very high rates of compliance with CQC standards. If this really is to be a new start, CQC must listen to the profession, ensure it fully understands dentistry and begin to work in a way that is appropriate. We have already seen positive engagement from the new team at the CQC and look forward to further constructive dialogue.”
The Faculty of General Dental Practice (UK) has also responded to the consultation. It welcomed the move towards individual accountability and away from a ‘tick box’ system of compliance. It also believes that it is essential for practice inspectors to possess relevant skills, knowledge and experience both in primary care dentistry and in practice appraisal.
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