CQC Evidence Pack Template for UK Dental Practices (2026)

Under the CQC Single Assessment Framework, dental inspections are evidence-led. Inspectors arrive expecting to see a curated pack of documents organised against the five key questions, not a binder dump. This template covers exactly what to put in each section so you can pull the pack together in an afternoon, not a weekend.

How CQC inspections of dental practices actually work in 2026

• The CQC inspector reviews five key questions: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive, Well-led.
• Each is judged as either "Regulations met" or "Not all regulations met" - dental practices no longer get an overall rating.
• The inspector pulls evidence from your records, your team, and patient feedback.
• Your job is to make the evidence easy to find. A well-organised evidence pack does that.

The 5-section evidence pack template

Section 1: SAFE

The largest section. Inspectors check infection control, sharps and mercury handling, medical emergency readiness, decontamination, and a learning culture around safety.

Documents to include:

• Infection prevention and control (IPC) policy with version date
• Last 3 months of autoclave / steriliser daily test logs
• Last 3 months of weekly autoclave validation logs
• Decontamination room daily / weekly / monthly checklists
• Annual IPC audit (HTM 01-05 self-assessment)
• Sharps risk assessment + last sharps incident review (or signed "no incidents" statement)
• Mercury / amalgam separator service certificate
• Medical emergency drug kit + AED check log (last 3 months)
• Last basic life support (BLS) training certificates for every team member
• Radiation Protection File (IRMER), including last X-ray equipment service report
• Legionella risk assessment + monthly water flush log
• Fire risk assessment + last drill record
• COSHH risk assessments for every dental material in use (AI COSHH generator can produce these)
• Significant event log + analysis (last 12 months) - this is critical for the "learning culture" Quality Statement
• DBS check certificates for every clinical team member

Section 2: EFFECTIVE

Clinical record-keeping, treatment planning, consent, recall, training currency.

Documents to include:

• Clinical records audit (sample of 10-20 patient records reviewed against GDC standards)
• Recall interval policy aligned with NICE guidance
• Consent policy + sample completed consent forms (anonymised)
• Treatment planning policy + sample plans (anonymised)
• Last 12 months of CPD logs for every clinical team member
• Verifiable CPD certificates for core topics (medical emergencies, IPC, radiation, safeguarding)
• GDC registration certificates (current) for every clinician
• Indemnity certificate for every clinician
• Antimicrobial stewardship audit (if you prescribe antibiotics) - aligned with FGDP / SDCEP guidance

Section 3: CARING

Patient feedback, dignity, confidentiality. The shortest section.

Documents to include:

• Last 12 months of NHS Friends & Family Test results
• Patient feedback summary (any other survey or comment cards)
• Confidentiality policy
• Sample anonymised treatment plans showing patient-friendly language
• Reasonable adjustments policy (Equality Act 2010)

Section 4: RESPONSIVE

Accessibility, urgent care, complaints handling.

Documents to include:

• Accessibility audit (wheelchair access, language support, hearing loop, etc.)
• Urgent appointment availability policy
• Complaints policy + last 12 months of complaints log with outcomes
• Sample complaint resolution letters (anonymised)
• Recall management report (% of recalls attended, lapsed patient list)
• Patient information leaflets in plain English

Section 5: WELL-LED

Governance, leadership, vision, staff well-being. Inspectors weight this heavily.

Documents to include:

• Statement of Purpose (current, signed)
• Practice vision / values document
• Last 12 months of practice meeting minutes (with action plans)
• Annual quality improvement plan
• Business continuity plan
• Information governance toolkit (NHS DSPT submission for the practice if NHS)
• GDPR / DPA 2018 compliance pack (data flow map, privacy notice, breach log)
• Cyber security policy + Cyber Essentials certificate (if held)
• Staff appraisal records (anonymised summary - one per team member)
• Staff well-being initiatives (mental-health-first-aider, anonymous suggestion box, etc.)
• Whistleblowing / Freedom to Speak Up policy
• Safeguarding policy + last training certificates
• Lead clinician / CQC Registered Manager identification

How to actually pull this together

Most practices treat the evidence pack as a quarterly project rather than an annual scramble. The pattern that works:

1. Build the folder structure once (5 folders matching the key questions, sub-folders matching the document categories above).
2. Set quarterly review reminders for the documents that go out of date - logs, training, audits.
3. Use a digital compliance dashboard to surface gaps automatically. Dentistry Dashboard's compliance helpers include an inspection-readiness dashboard that maps to the five Quality Statements with traffic-light status.
4. Run a mock inspection every 6-12 months using the BDA or a third party.

Common evidence-pack mistakes

1. Outdated logs - autoclave logs older than 3 months, expired training certificates. Easiest CQC win.
2. Generic policies copied from a template - no version date, no signature, no review schedule.
3. No significant event log - or events are recorded but with no learning attached.
4. No staff appraisals - inspectors will ask, and "we do them informally" is not enough.
5. No business continuity plan - not a legal requirement but inspectors expect one for Well-led.

When AI tools help

A few of the documents in this pack are tedious to write from scratch:

• AI COSHH generator writes a COSHH risk assessment for any dental material in seconds. (Inside the Practice Hub compliance helpers.)
• AI policy library keeps your policies version-controlled and prompts staff to acknowledge updates - the audit trail goes in your evidence pack.
• AI Team Meetings auto-generate minutes from your monthly practice meeting recording, which goes in the Well-led section.
• AI Notes records consent conversations and produces clinical records that meet GDC standards - those records are sampled in the Effective section.

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Want this template as a downloadable folder structure? Sign up at Dentistry Dashboard - the inspection-readiness dashboard mirrors this structure and updates as your evidence changes.