CQC give dentists a clean bill of health
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- Published: Sunday, 29 November -0001 23:58
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In its latest report on the sectors it regulates, the Care Quality Conmission (CQC) said the picture for the dental sector was positive. The majority (88%) of dental practices that they inspected were meeting regulations relating to all five key questions. Both BDA and FGDP(UK) have welcomed these findings, as a 'recognition of the dedication and professionalism of dentists and dental practice teams across England.'
In 2016/17, the CQC carried out comprehensive inspections of 1,131 dental practices. It reports that the outcomes were consistent with the previous year and showed that the majority (88%) of dental practices that we inspected were meeting regulations relating to all five key questions. It said that this picture was consistent across the country and across all funding types. Nationally, 111 dental practices inspected (10%) ‘required action’, which means they needed to improve in specific areas where they had concerns.
They also needed to take enforcement action against 22 practices (2%). Where they did find concerns we found that, on re-inspection, practices had acted quickly to address issues and show improvement. The regulation relating to good governance was the most often breached: 105 practices required action and they took enforcement action in 16 practices. This was often a result of the leadership of a practice not being properly engaged with the processes that are needed to ensure safety. For example, although they may have a documented process relating to treatment, equipment or recruitment, staff may not be applying it correctly, or they may not even have a process at all.
Another reason for poorer performance on the well-led question is a lack of awareness or ownership of issues that CQC has highlighted, and therefore not taking action to address them. They concluded that good leadership affects how the whole practice is run, and the experiences of patients. We have seen how a good practice manager with delegated responsibility can make a valuable contribution to a well-led practice, although many small practices can still achieve this without the need for a manager.
They said they have seen improvement in many dental practices that they re-inspected during 2015/16 and 2016/17: of 23 practices where we originally took enforcement action, 18 have improved and now have no action needed.
The British Dental Association (BDA) has welcomed the CQC report, which once again shows that dental services in England have topped the league in providing high quality care. Mick Armstrong, Chair of the BDA, said: “The latest CQC report represents another ringing endorsement for good practice in our profession, in spite of the huge challenges we face. Once again we see patients are at less risk when they visit their dentist than they are with most other healthcare professionals.”
The FGDP(UK) also welcomed the CQC’s findings, saying that it provides a positive reflection on the state of dentistry, and is recognition of the dedication and professionalism of dentists and dental practice teams across England.
Ian Mills, Vice-Dean of FGDP(UK) and a member of the CQC Dental Reference Group, commented: “The dental profession should be justifiably proud of this report. The CQC’s annual review provides further evidence that dentistry is delivered to a consistently high standard, despite the various challenges facing general dental practice. The role of the wider dental team, in particular practice managers, is highlighted as key in delivering high quality care through strong leadership and management. It is testimony to the dedication of our workforce that dentistry outperforms other professions in providing safe, effective and well-led healthcare.”
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