The Care Quality Commission published reports on the quality of care provided by 24 dental practices in England last week.
The practices that we have reported on are:
- Burleigh Street Dentistry, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough: Dental Compliant
- Dental Practice, Richmond: Dental Compliant
- Elite Dental Care Finchley, Barnet: Dental Compliant
- Hare Lane Dental Practice, Surrey Downs: Dental Compliant
- High Ash Dental Practice, Leeds North: Dental Compliant
- Hilsea Dental Care, Portsmouth: Dental Compliant
- LWT Dental Care - Leppings Lane, Sheffield: Dental Compliant
- Manor Square Dental Practice, Leeds North: Dental Compliant
- Mydentist - High Street West - Glossop, Tameside and Glossop: Dental Compliant
- Mydentist - Old Market - Bristol, Bristol: Dental Compliant
- Northstreet Dental & Aesthetic Practice, South Eastern Hampshire: Dental Compliant
- Park Road North Dental Practice, Wirral: Dental Compliant
- Smilestylist - House of Fraser Birmingham, Sandwell and West Birmingham: Dental Compliant
- Southover Orthodontics Limited, Barnet: Dental Compliant
- Southwold Dental Practice, Great Yarmouth and Waveney: Dental Compliant
- Synergy Dental Clinic - South Shore, Blackpool: Dental Compliant
- Woodingdean Dental Practice, Brighton and Hove: Dental Compliant
- Alexandra Dental Practice, Surrey Downs: Dental Breach
- B E Perry Dental - Ripon Road, Harrogate and Rural District: Dental Breach
- Dundee Court Dental Centre, West Norfolk: Dental Breach
- Genix Healthcare Dental Clinic - Whitley Bay, North Tyneside: Dental Breach
- JD Dental Practice, Birmingham South and Central: Dental Breach
- Marble Arch Dental Centre, West London: Dental Breach
- Patient First Dental Practice, Thurrock: Dental Breach
CQC’s new approach to inspecting dental services:
CQC’s approach to inspecting dental services uses specially trained dental inspectors, accompanied by specialist advisors who are usually qualified dentists or dental care professionals. Similarly to the other health and social care sectors inspected by CQC, dental reports describe whether services provided are safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led. Our inspections check that practices are meeting the fundamental standards and regulations that came into force on 1 April 2015.
CQC plans to inspect 10 per cent of England’s 10,000 dental practices. Unlike most sectors regulated by CQC, primary care dental services will not be given a rating.
Professor Steve Field, Chief Inspector of General Practice (Primary Medical Services and Integrated Care Directorate), said:
"We know that the quality of care provided by most dentists meets the fundamental standards required by law and, and that is reflected in the reports we have published so far.
"If we find that a dental practice is failing to meet the required standard - we will expect them to provide us with a full plan setting out how they will address the issue, and we will return to check that they have made the required improvements.
“However good the general picture, we are not complacent. In the first years of inspection, CQC did identify some examples of unacceptable standards of care. Our main priority must be to ensure that we protect the public from unsafe care by continuing to inspect against the regulations and taking action that encourages improvement.”
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