Mobile surgeries and visiting services (eg, home or school visits)
These do not count as locations in their own right if they are not fully functional static surgeries. Instead, the head office of the provider registering those services should be registered as the location from which regulated activities are provided.
In these cases, the provider’s statement of purpose should make clear that mobile or visiting services are provided or managed from the head office location. The reference to a “fully functional” surgery is intended to exclude a room that is partially, but not fully, equipped as a clinical area.
For example, a room in a school that includes a chair and appropriate flooring but not does not contain equipment and instruments and is only used as a surgery part of the time will not count as a separate location in its own right.
Services within premises controlled by others
Some primary dental care may be provided from a service managed and controlled by somebody else. This would particularly apply to practices in supermarkets, shopping centres, prisons or high secure hospitals. In these cases, the locations that need to be registered will be dictated by whether there is a fully functional surgery in the premises or not.
If there is not, and the dental service utilises a space within the premises on a temporary basis, then this situation will be the same as a visiting service above. That is the head office should be registered as the location from which services are provided.
If there is a “fully functional” surgery or consultation/treatment rooms, this is a “hosted” service. In that case, the primary dental provider must count it as a location within their registration. The other parties merely host the service as a landlord and are not responsible for the dental service; the primary dental provider is responsible for the quality and safety of the regulated activities carried on at the location.
The only exception to this would be if the dental practitioners providing the service are working under arrangements of practising privileges that have been granted by a provider registered with us. In such cases, the primary dental service would need to be included as part of the overall registered service of the provider granting the practising privileges.
For example, where private practice is provided in a hospital, it will normally be covered by the host hospital’s registration, unless the dentist cannot agree this with the hospital or chooses to run it entirely separately from the host hospital.
Mixed service types with one provider and location
Some primary dental care services may be just one aspect of a broader range of services carried on by a provider in one location, for example primary dental care carried on at a primary healthcare centre or a dental school of teaching hospital.
In those cases, the primary dental care service is not a separate location. The location is registered once as a place at or from which regulated activities are provided. The provider’s statement of purpose should make it clear that primary dental care is provided from this location as one of its services.
Older premises
CQC’s Guidance about compliance: Essential standards of quality and safety sets out how CQC expects providers to meet national guidance, regulations and legislation. This includes guidance relating to how providers ensure that service users are protected against the risks associated with unsafe or unsuitable premises.
Some services may be provided from older premises which do not meet all the modern requirements we suggest in that guidance. The essential standards is guidance and if a provider can demonstrate compliance with the regulation in other ways, CQC will also consider that. However, in cases where providers do not follow CQC guidance, CQC states that it will be likely manage that by placing a condition on the provider's registration.
Should the provider sell their practice, the new provider may be able to demonstrate compliance if, as per the previous provider, they can demonstrate compliance with the regulation in other ways.
CQC support
CQC has extended its national contact centre’s opening hours to help support primary dental providers who are preparing to apply for registration.
The NCC, based in Newcastle, is now open from:
- 8.30am - 8pm Monday to Thursday
- 8.30am - 5.30pm on Friday
- 8am - 4pm on Saturday
You can contact the NCC on 03000 616 161, or by fax on 03000 616 171.
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