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Jerry Watson column

2nd Apr 2007

Practice MOT

I have just had my car MOT tested. I know its ‘de rigour’ having a car that actually needs a test, but that’s the way it is! I have known for some months now that I had a cracked sidelight lens which needed changing, but it was not until a couple of days before the test was booked that I actually got round to doing it. That is one of the benefits of an official test; it’s a focus to make sure that everything is right and safe. It is exactly the same with practice inspections. We all know that there are little things that have to be done and the benefit of a practice inspection is that it gives the practice a date to get them done by, and it also gives the practitioner the peace of mind that everything is actually up to date. However, the reality is that most practices are now operating under many different payment systems and contracts. You may have an NHS contract, a Denplan or capitation contract, a private contract or be a VT training practice. No matter what your commitment is to these contracts, the majority will require that you have a practice inspection so that you meet their requirements. The ridiculous thing is, if it is patient and staff safety we are monitoring, why is it that the way that the dentistry is paid for triggers a separate inspection? I was talking to a practitioner recently who was tearing his hair out. He had a DRO visit on the Tuesday, a Denplan Excel visit on the Thursday and a VT practice visit on the following Monday! Now I understand that these all had a slightly different purpose, however he was quite right in saying that the majority of things being looked at were actually the same (the core of the inspection). At the end of the day a practice is either fit to work in and to offer care to patients or it is not. For the past four years I have had the privilege to be involved with the Faculty’s Certificate in Practice Appraisal course and have been lucky to have met a vast number of people who are actually carrying out these inspections. They express overwhelming support for a common or core standard. Once this has been demonstrated, it would be universal for any situation. After all, you do not need a different MOT to drive on motorways or ‘A’ or ‘B’ roads. The benefits of this independent core appraisal would be numerous. Once you have your ‘core standards’ certificate, this would simply be shown to all the bodies wanting to visit your practice who could then look at the additional aspects of the practice relevant to their particular visit. This would save a massive amount of time both for the practices and the appraisers, which could be then spent in actually helping the practices to improve. Practice appraisal would then be seen as a positive thing rather than a jumping-through-hoops exercise. The independent nature of the inspection could be of real benefit, since it worries me that in 18 months when the ‘free for all bun fight’ starts in renegotiating PCT contracts, the practice inspection may be used as a tool not to continue a contract. Please log-in to post comments or register here.

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