A recent cry for help from a bewildered practice manager trying to understand the CQC regulations that apply to dental websites has prompted me to take a closer look at the advice that is currently being offered.
Having attended a seminar designed to help her navigate through the jungle of new regulations, the practice manager had come away alarmed, of all things, at the prospect of inadvertently contravening the Disability Discrimination Act of 2005. It is the threatening nature of some of the latest regulations that concerns me most and a little clarity and common sense is sorely needed.
A number of phone calls to the GDC and BDA concerning dental practice websites and the use of email have revealed a worrying lack of understanding, even amongst those responsible for the compliance side of things. It appears to be impossible to source advice that comes with professional authority and removes any lingering doubts, either through fear of being liable should they offer inaccurate information or perhaps because they simply do not comprehend the issues themselves.
As dentists we tend to rely on our professional bodies to warn us of the implications of new developments but this is not happening with ICT requirements. In the case of practice websites and email communications we are being bombarded with regulations before we are even aware of a problem. In some respects, those who have refused to embrace new technology are better placed than those who have spent a fortune on what may turn out to be redundant services.
For dentists the IT learning curve has been steep, more so than for their medical colleagues who have had educational grants and subsidies showered upon them by the NHS. A crisis is now mounting because the NHS proposes to introduce draconian measures into dentistry as a result of serious failures occurring in the rollout of the medical equivalent. What they fail to realise is that the dental market is very different and so is the method of funding.
Internet problems in dentistry are indeed widespread, with most dental practice websites and email services non compliant. Remedial treatment is certainly needed, but without the heavy hand of regulation being applied prematurely.
Dental practices generally fall within the small business community where the employment of an IT consultant or dedicated personnel is economically impossible. Therefore many practices outsource IT services to agencies that have little or no understanding of dentistry and its ethical requirements. However, an ever-increasing number of school leavers and young dental care professionals are IT literate and they should be encouraged to play a part in the dental practice technology needs. It is important everyone understands the regulations, many of which stem from EU Directives that include specific references to the regulated professions.
In a health department masterpiece published in 2002 (An IT strategy for NHS dentistry in the 21st century) we were told, 'a substantial investment in education would be required to support an integrated IT strategy'. It also stated, 'The overriding theme of options for change in NHS dentistry is the reintegration of dentistry within the NHS and for dental records to become more connected with mainstream NHS IT.'
In today's difficult economic environment with little or no additional funding, perhaps the time has come for the 'authorities' in the UK to step back and take a deep breath, before dentistry as we know it disappears down the plughole of bureaucracy and regulation. Together, the combination of NHS changes, IT regulation and CQC compliance are in danger of breaking the camel's back.