Study Group Success

Last night we had our 3rd Study Group meeting of the year at The Watermark in Ivybridge. These groups are an excellent opportunity for other practices in the area, who use our referral service for their patients, to come and learn about a variety of current topics to ensure we all stay abreast of the changes within this evolving industry of dentistry.

Last nights speaker was Fiona Stuart-Wilson, director of UMD Professional Ltd, which provides award winning management training and qualification for dentists and practice managers. The topic of the evening was "The Care Quality Commission (CQC) - A View From Whose Chair". The aim of the evening was to look at the public and professional expectations of CQC registration and the role of the whole dental team in meeting the CQC outcomes. The CQC is ultimately a government quango set up with the aim of ensuring patient safety and protecting the public (for EVERY health care provider). It was founded after a study found that, despite how well we feel we might be doing as a dental practice, there is a growing mistrust in the general public in all areas of health care. This has not been helped recently with such high profile cases as Winterbourne View Care Home in Bristol or Dr Harold Shipman.

For years, as dental professionals, we've been regulated by the General Dental Council (GDC), but the CQC looks at the workplace or practice as a whole, rather than just regulating individuals. It will ensure that the policies and systems we have in place in the practice are working for our patients - not just for ourselves.

All dental practices in the England will be visited by a group of inspectors, and all staff questioned to ensure they know every single system in place, how it has been checked and verified, and how often it is audited to ensure patient safety.

Many practices have been overwhelmed by the thought of preparing for this inspection, but Emma had already worked closely with Fiona to ensure we are prepared for whatever the CQC may ask of us.

Last night Fiona gave a really concise overview of the CQC, she was encouraging and motivating and for the practices represented last night, will have been a valuable source of much needed information to help them in these times when such vital information has been hard to come by.

As a practice we all love to meet with other local practices in these semi-social settings, and to ensure our knowledge is as up to date as it can be, to ensure our patients are receiving the very best care we can offer.