Each business is different in its values and the pressures placed upon it. However, an astute employer will keep its employment documentation up-to-date. The CQC (Care Quality Commission) places considerable emphasis on employee documentation and what it expects to see.
Below is a list of evidence you should have available for all team members, as it’s likely the CQC will ask you about this:
- Terms and conditions of employment – a tailored contract
- Induction and orientation information
- Qualification certificate(s) (if applicable)
- GDC (General Dental Council) registration certificate
- Professional indemnity (if applicable)
- Enhanced DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) disclosure (where applicable)
- Performer number (where applicable)
- Hepatitis B vaccination documentation (current)
- Full, detailed CV, including precise employment dates
- Interview notes
- Two references
- Photographic identification – also confirmation of eligibility to work in the UK (passport, driving license)
- Medical questionnaire
- Appraisal and personal development plans
- Training certificates.
This may seem like a lot of information to gather and keep up-to-date. So, what do you do if you discover you don’t have everything for long-standing team members?
Recognise the gaps
The important thing is to recognise where you have gaps; the CQC always likes it if you know where the issues are.
The following suggestions should help you with his common situation:
- Write a statement to be included with your general HR (human resources) policies and procedures confirming it wasn’t your policy to ask for such information at the time of recruiting those specific team members
- Add the employee’s length of service and current policy
- Get personal references for those long-standing team members (10+ years) and CVs where possible
- Where possible, all files for staff under 10 years of service must be fully complete with work references and CVs.
The above may feel like overkill, but ensure you do what you can and show off evidence of trying to do so, otherwise your practice may be vulnerable to an improvement notice. This advice is only a brief overview and ultimately it really is essential to understand what employment information the CQC will be looking for within your dental practice. It is always recommended that specific advice should be sought, and if you have recently found that your usual route has been taken away, why not consider these options?
A helping hand
Apolline are regulatory specialists and have partnered with Practice Plan to bring a comprehensive yet simple solution for achieving and maintaining compliance. Complianceplus is an online self-assessment system that stores all your CQC documents in one, easy-to-locate place, highlighting where you are compliant and non-compliant, and allows you to set action plans for achieving CQC standards. Why not take a look, visit www.practiceplan.co.uk/complianceplus.
Also, Peninsula Business Services are a specialist provider of employment law and health and safety services in the UK. It has partnered with Practice Plan to bring comprehensive HR, employment law, and health and safety services to dental practices, and an online portal called HRplus, which helps dental practices to organise and manage their team more effectively. HRplus is easily accessible and you’ll find that you have everything in one place, saving you time and hassle. Find out more at www.practiceplan.co.uk/hrplus.
For more information on compliance and HR support please visit Complianceplus: www.practiceplan.co.uk/complianceplus and HRplus: www.practiceplan.co.uk/hrplus.
