Dental services in England have been found to offer high quality care according to the CQC’s State of Care report.
The report found 90% of dental practices complied with the Care Quality Commission’s (CQC’s) five key tests, which asks are healthcare providers:
- Safe
- Effective
- Caring
- Responsive
- Well-led?
Following the report, the CQC has again confirmed that dental practices offer a lower risk to patient safety, this comes after the CQC moved to inspecting only 10% of dental practices every year in April 2015.
‘There are huge challenges facing the dental profession but in spite of these the CQC provides proof – if that were needed – that we remain the most efficient, trusted and compliant of healthcare sectors,’ Mick Armstrong, chair of the BDA, said.
‘All dentists can be proud that we are defining ourselves as a caring and responsive service.
‘This shows the commitment we have to our patients, and to our ideals of professionalism and responsibility.
‘It’s also a reminder why the CQC’s approach to dental inspections was the right choice.’
Highest quality of care
Of the practices inspected, 100% complied with the tests for caring, whilst 99% were found to be responsive and effective.
The report found that community dental services offered the highest quality of care amongst all community services, with 86% of dental practices receiving good or outstanding, compared with 70% for the other three core community services.
‘Colleagues continue to provide an excellent, committed service, despite a 35% drop in taxable income over the last decade, and without a penny of government investment,’ Mick Armstrong continued.
‘Dentists are subsidising this high quality care from their own pockets.
‘In the long term this situation is unsustainable – yet how can a profession starved of investment meet the increasing expectations of care quality if the government refuses to recognise this?
‘Dentists are delivering high quality preventative oral health, education and maintenance but this cannot be maintained on good will alone.’
