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Dental quality and safety

Quality is defined within the Duty of Quality as continuously, reliably and sustainably meeting the need of the population. This definition of quality is broader than how quality has been understood, assessed and monitored in the NHS dentistry.

Primary dental care is more than merely patients receiving the clinical treatment and quality is not confined to clinical outcomes but also patient reported outcomes and encompasses how a service is organised and delivered

Public Health Wales’ Dental Public Health team works with the Health Boards, Welsh Government, Health Education and Improvement Wales (HEIW) and other partners in the system with aim of creating a dental system that is continuously learning and improving so that it achieves the best possible outcome for the population in Wales.

Different organisations within Wales and UK have a role in maintaining safety and improving quality of dental care in Wales. Key organisations that have a role in maintaining safety and improving quality of dental care:

  • Dental practices
  • General Dental Council (UK)
  • Welsh Government
  • Health Boards
  • Healthcare Inspectorate Wales (HIW)
  • Health Education and Improvement Wales (HEIW)
  • Llais
  • Health and Safety Executive
  • Public Health Wales
  • Digital Health and Care Wales
  • NHS Business Services Authority
  • NHS Wales Shared Services Partnership

Quality Assurance Self-Assessment (QAS)

The Dental Public Health team hosts The All-Wales Dental Practice Quality Assurance Self-assessment (QAS) toolkit on behalf of Health Boards and dental practices in Wales. We also host multi-stakeholder bi-annual GDS Quality and Safety Forum meetings.

The QAS is a self-assessment toolkit that supports the General/Personal Dental Service (GDS/PDS) providers in Wales to identify areas for Quality and Safety improvement in their practice. Completion of the QAS toolkit also helps dental practices to comply with their NHS GDS/PDS contractual requirement.

All dental practices with an NHS dental contract complete the QAS toolkit annually.

In addition to practices themselves identifying areas for improvement through self-assessment, the completed QAS toolkits in each health board area are also assessed by dental practices advisors (DPAs) employed by health boards. The DPAs provide advice to the dental contract management teams in Health Boards if there are any Quality and Safety concerns arising from the practices’ self-assessments.

Quality improvement (QI) advice and support to practices is available from Health Boards’ dental practice advisors. A suite of QI toolkits, audits and resources (including funding) are available for the dental practices from the Health Education and Improvement Wales (HEIW) Quality Improvement Programme . Dental practices can contact the QI educator assigned to their health board area for further advice and support.

Dental practices that have an NHS dental contract but are not registered for the QAS, please contact [email protected]. Those wishing to access their account can sign in.