We are often asked about 24-hour retirement, and know it can be a complex issue for dental practices.
The issue is whether dentists who are partners in a CQC registered partnership need to inform CQC or take any other action regarding their CQC registration if they retire for 24 hours from their NHS contract.
We discussed this with the BDA and NHS England. All parties agree that when a dentist who is a partner in a CQC registered partnership takes 24 hour retirement from their NHS contract, they retire from their NHS contract for that period but do not retire from their responsibilities as a partner of the CQC registered partnership. They remain accountable, along with the other partners, for providing regulated activities by the CQC registered partnership over the 24 hour period.
Consequently, dentist partners do not need to inform CQC or take any other action regarding their CQC registration where they are taking 24 hour retirement.
Contract changes and CQC registration
A person does not need to be a dentist, or to hold a contract, to be a partner or a registered manager in a CQC registered partnership. So retiring from an NHS contract for 24 hours does not affect their ability to remain a partner in a CQC registered partnership. The issues of contract changes and CQC registration are separate.