Over regulation will mean closure of smaller dental surgeries.
Suggested by docholliday and tagged . 2 Comments.
The big idea
Most dental surgeries in UK are still small, independent businesses owned by dentists. They may contract to provide services within the NHS, or privately. Under the last government, a vast increase in regulation occurred. The latest examples include a – frankly ridiculous – new regime of so-called cross infection control, contained within a document called HTM 01-05. I have an article suggesting that compliance for a 2 surgery practice would be £48,880 (new VAT levels will increase this). Almost none of HTM 01-05 has a solid evidence base, and has been dreamed-up by a committee with no general dental practice input.
No such regime is contemplated for pubs/restaurants, despite the obvious fact that glasses and cutlery used in these businesses also get contaminated by saliva. In dental practice, we of course operate to higher standards – but it is clear that potental pathogens won't tell the difference between a dental mirror and a spoon!
The inclusion of general dental practices within the remit of the Quality Care Commission is also a mistake. Dentists are already regulated by the General Dental Council, which is funded by the registrants (dentists and other dental care professionals) but appointed by the government. The QCC is a duplicate quango which will achieve nothing except increased expenses and red-tape for practices.
Why does this matter?
It is absolutely inevitable that onerous imposition of over-regulation upon dental practices will increase their business expenses very significantly. Practices reliant upon NHS contracts cannot increase their prices. The obvious other 'solution' from the practices' point of view is to withdraw from the NHS. Significant numbers of practices already reduced their NHS committment following the disastrous imposition of the 'New Contract' in 2006. Matters such as HTM 01-05, and the new registration with the Quality Care Commission will mean a new wave of NHS withdrawals.
In summary, if dental practices continue to be grossly over-regulated, large numbers will withdraw from provision of NHS services. This will clearly have political consequences.
I 100% agree with the above. Practices are already closing – and the problem is not confined to the smaller dental surgeries. How many of ‘The Dental Clinics’ chain owned by Optical Express closed the same week the CQC regulations were introduced?
Ridiculous examples of over regulation include: we have been asked by the PCT to show our written policy on restraining people. Who on earth are we going to restrain? The CQC told a local practice to change the furniture in the waiting room because ‘it wasn’t currently clear how you can swab down your waiting room every day’. We now have to have three different registrations and three different inspections from the CQC to the same dental practice because the precise mehcanism of our partnership between the four different dentists (it’s an expense sharing partnership) is not recognised in their paperwork even though it is very common. This one piece of red tape alone has tripled our bureaucracy. We now need a CRB check AND we must always work in pairs i.e chaparoned. Are doctors always chaparoned? Of course not. This is just a fraction of the new increase in red tape. It is madness.