What CQC ready really means

By Sofia Mendes

Setting up a new dental practice is exciting. You have the opportunity to create something from the ground up, choose the environment you want to work in and build a business around your own vision. But there is a significant difference between having a practice that looks ready to open and having a practice that is genuinely CQC ready.

One of the most common misconceptions I come across is that CQC registration is simply another task on the opening checklist. Submit the application, put the necessary policies together and wait for registration.

In reality, CQC needs to be considered as part of the wider project from much earlier on. A new practice may look fantastic, with the dental chairs installed, cabinetry fitted and signage in place, but that is only one part of what is needed to demonstrate that a service is ready to operate safely.

When all the workstreams need to come together

One of the reasons setting up a squat practice can become overwhelming is that it isn't really one project. There are several separate workstreams running at the same time.

You may have solicitors dealing with the property and business structure, architects and designers working on the premises, contractors completing the fit out, equipment suppliers arranging installation, finance being organised, staff being recruited and IT systems being put in place. Alongside all of that sits CQC registration and compliance.

The difficulty is that these workstreams are not completely independent of each other. Decisions made in one area can affect another, and the timing of one part of the project can have consequences elsewhere.

This is particularly important from a CQC perspective because the registration application cannot simply exist in isolation from the practice that is being built. What you say you are going to provide, where you are going to provide it, who will be responsible for the service and how that service will operate all need to come together.

The information and supporting evidence CQC expects from new providers has also evolved, with some of that evidence directly connected to the premises and how far the project has progressed. This means the CQC process can sometimes be dependent on something happening elsewhere in the project.

That is why it is important to understand those dependencies from the outset and make sure the regulatory work develops alongside the practice itself.

A finished practice is not necessarily a CQC ready practice

During a new practice project, it is very easy for most of the attention to go towards the physical environment. Understandably, that is the part you can see. The surgeries take shape, equipment arrives, the reception area is completed and suddenly the practice begins to feel real.

CQC readiness goes considerably further than the physical environment.

The premises and equipment are part of the picture, but so are the people who will provide and manage the service, the systems they will work within and the governance arrangements that will support the practice once patients start coming through the door.

This is another area where prospective owners can underestimate the preparation involved. Having policies in place is important, but having a folder full of policies does not, by itself, demonstrate that a service is ready.

The documentation needs to reflect the practice that is actually being created. The provider and Registered Manager need to understand their responsibilities and be able to explain how the service will be managed safely. Staff recruitment and training need to be considered, responsibilities need to be clear and the systems supporting the day to day running of the practice need to have been thought through.

A brand new practice will obviously not have months of audits, meetings and operational evidence behind it. What it does need is appropriate arrangements in place so that the service is in a position to operate safely from the point it begins treating patients.

That is really what CQC ready means.

Compliance should develop with the practice

The most successful new practice projects I see are not necessarily those where everything goes perfectly. Building projects change, equipment can be delayed and unexpected issues arise. That is the reality of setting up a new business.

The difference is usually that compliance has been considered throughout the project rather than being added at the end.

If CQC is only thought about once the fit out is almost complete, it may be much harder to deal with something that should have been considered earlier. Sometimes that creates additional work, sometimes additional cost and, importantly for an owner working towards a particular launch, sometimes it creates delays.

Thinking about compliance early does not mean producing huge amounts of paperwork before the practice has even been built. It means understanding what will ultimately need to be demonstrated and making sure the decisions being made throughout the project support that.

It also means being realistic about the opening date. There are many people involved in bringing a new practice to life and not every part of the process is within the owner's control. An intended opening date should therefore be planned with the regulatory process in mind rather than assuming CQC registration will simply fit around it.

Ultimately, being CQC ready is about much more than completing an application. It is the point at which the premises, equipment, people, systems and governance arrangements come together sufficiently to demonstrate that the new service can operate safely.

For prospective practice owners, CQC registration should therefore be treated as one of the central workstreams on the journey to opening, not as the final task once everything else is finished. Getting that right from the beginning can make the difference between reaching the end of the fit out with a beautiful new dental practice, and reaching it with a dental practice that is genuinely ready to open its doors.

Setting up a new dental practice?

Our property and compliance specialists are here to support you through the entire process. Working together as one joined-up team, we can help lighten the project management load and make the journey to opening as seamless as possible.

If you would like to talk through your plans, call 0330 088 2275 or email us: info@buxtoncoates.com