New accreditation requirements for private dental practices: navigating the transition

Starting 1 May 2024, the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care (ACSQHC) implemented new accreditation requirements for private dental practices.

Accreditation has now transitioned to the Primary and Community Healthcare Standards, replacing the previous assessment criteria based on the first edition of the National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) Standards.

Elevating Healthcare: Adhering to the NSQHS Standards

Based on the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care, the main objectives of the National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) Standards are to protect clients from harm and enhance the quality of healthcare services.

During the accreditation process, qualified independent reviewers evaluate the implementation of the Primary and Community Healthcare Standards to ensure that private dental practices meet the required safety and quality benchmarks. Adhering to these standards not only demonstrates regulatory compliance but also underscores a commitment to excellence in client care for private dental practices.

Key Standards Overview according to the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care:

• Clinical Governance Standard:
  This standard ensures that private dental practices implement clinical governance systems to improve client safety and quality of care. It guarantees that the workforce has the necessary qualifications and skills to deliver safe, high-quality care and that the environment in which dental services are provided supports this level of care.
• Partnering with Consumers Standard:
  Complying with this standard means that partnering with clients underpins dental care delivery. Systems are in place to support clients, who are actively involved to the extent they choose, in planning, monitoring, and evaluating services.
• Clinical Safety Standard:
  This standard ensures that private dental practices implement systems to identify and mitigate clinical safety risks. It involves using evidence-based processes to prevent and control infections, maintaining a clean and hygienic practice, and having systems in place to reduce risks associated with medicine-related events. Additionally, it requires that care be clinically appropriate and consider the client's overall health and wellbeing. Dental practices must escalate healthcare appropriately, and use effective communication and documentation.
  
  

Overcoming Challenges in Private Dental Practices

Maintaining a high level of care and maintaining evidence of compliance with key standards and regulations presents significant challenges for dental practices. Often, they grapple with limited time, striving to implement a lean management style that balances efficiency and quality with the resources at hand.

The healthcare sector's highly regulated and complex nature adds another layer of difficulty, making it challenging for practices to navigate these requirements efficiently while striving to meet their business objectives.

Becoming Accreditation-Ready: Key Elements for Success

Efficient reporting, communication, delegation, and coordination are essential not only for meeting standards but also for delivering high-quality and safe dental care to your clients. To be prepared for accreditation, your dental practice needs to focus on several key elements:

• Self-Assessment: Conduct comprehensive self-assessments against the new requirements, analyse gaps, and gain a clear understanding of your practice’s compliance status.
• Delegation and Tracking: Efficiently delegate tasks and track the actions needed to address identified gaps.
• Evidence Generation: Generate reliable evidence reports to ensure success during audits and accreditation processes.
• Historical Compliance Tracking: Maintain a comprehensive history of how the dental practice has met the standards' requirements over time.

Leveraging Digital Tools for Compliance and Care

The dental care industry is experiencing a significant transformation through digital innovation. Digital tools facilitate more personalised care, data-driven decision-making, improved administrative tasks, increased efficiency, and reduced errors. Moreover, embracing these powerful digital tools is essential for maintaining high standards of quality and safety in care while ensuring compliance with key regulations.

Streamlining Accreditation with Logiqc

A digital platform like Logiqc equips your dental practice with the essential tools to achieve compliance and excel in accreditation processes. It offers a dynamic and robust solution, empowering your team to stay ahead of evolving regulations.

Our platform simplifies the management of all standards-related requirements, including essential elements such as keeping track of policies, procedures, templates, risk identification and assessment, contracts, supplier reviews, internal audits, preventive maintenance schedules, licensing and credential checks, and mandatory training.

It enables you to conduct self-assessments with ease, delegate and track actions that need to be taken to strengthen compliance with the standard, generate evidence reports 24/7, and maintain a comprehensive record of your compliance journey. Additionally, Logiqc facilitates event reporting, including feedback, incidents, near misses, adverse events, improvements, non-conformances, and equipment and asset repairs.

Staying accreditation-ready is crucial for ensuring safety and quality of care in your dental practice. Equip your team with the Logiqc platform to streamline compliance and demonstrate your commitment to excellence. Contact us today to learn how you can meet new accreditation requirements and stay ahead of the curve.