Poll says: CQC not welcome by dentists

Most dentists believe that the regulatory efforts of health watchdog, the Care Quality Commission, will fail to improve conditions for patients.

That’s according to a new survey conducted on behalf of dental payment paln providers, DPAS, in which hundreds of GDPs throughout the UK.

And as chairman of DPAS, Quentin Skinner, emerges as a leading exponent of the opposition to CQC regulation of dentistry, it sheds new light on the wave of anti-CQC feeling throughout the industry.

This latest poll reveals that:
• 99.4% did not feel that the CQC regulation would produce any significant improvement for patients
• 99.1% were not confident that CQC staff are sufficiently knowledgeable about dentistry
• 90.5% felt that it would reduce the time available for the provision of dentistry
• 95.6% are likely to pass on the costs of regulation to their patients, rather than bearing the cost themselves
• 94.0% agreed to being joint signatories to an appropriately worded letter to the national press   • 99.1% expressed themselves happy for DPAS to lobby on their behalf against this extra regulatory burden.

Quentin says: ‘I always find it extraordinary how many poll results show a 51/49 split on almost any subject, whether it be national politics, Europe, Brussels sprouts or whatever.

‘Even questions which seem totally clear cut rarely produce a more pronounced swing than, say, 75/25 on the subject. These results, with hundreds of dentists responding, show almost unanimous views.’

Buoyed by such support, Quentin intends to continue his lobbying activities but underlined the importance of preparing for imminent CQC registration.

He adds: ‘Many dentists will already be fully compliant in most respects, and are drafting out registration forms. Others will be less well organised, they may still be working on certain written protocols and procedures and may have to register as non-compliant in a particular area but with an action plan regarding gaining compliance by next April.

‘If any DPAS customer feels they need assistance with registration, they can by all means contact us on [email protected] and we will try to point them in the right direction.’

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