Dental overseers admit it’s time to cut red tape

In The future of dental service regulation, published recently, bodies including the Care Quality Commission, the General Dental Council, the Department of Health and NHS England acknowledge that “multiple jeopardy and duplication of effort is both wasteful and stressful and can have far reaching professional and personal consequences.”

Janet Williamson from the Regulation of the Dental Services Programme Board, confirms the bodies need to “think differently” to deliver for patients. The report outlines steps to rationalise dental regulation, including needed action on data sharing, complaint management, quality improvement and communications.

The BDA has stressed the urgency of rationalisation and called on all the parties involved to press ahead with implementing the action plan.

Mick Armstrong, chair of the British Dental Association said:

"The proposals set out in this paper are simple common sense. As we’ve long argued no one wins from over regulation, and removing these multiple jeopardies could start lifting a huge weight from the shoulders of this profession.