- Governance & Legal
Governance & Compliance
- Governance & Legal
- ESG & Social
Our Governance Framework
Saint Visage Dental Group operates a comprehensive governance framework designed to ensure the highest standards of clinical care, patient safety, regulatory compliance, and ethical business conduct across our network of 40+ dental practices.
Our governance structure is built on the principle that clinical quality and patient safety are the foundation of everything we do. This is reflected in our leadership, policies, reporting mechanisms, and culture.
Clinical Governance
Clinical governance at Saint Visage is the framework through which we are accountable for continuously improving the quality of our services and safeguarding high standards of care. Our clinical governance programme includes:
- Clinical audit: Regular audits of clinical outcomes, record-keeping, prescribing, and infection control across all practices.
- Peer review: Structured peer review sessions where clinicians discuss cases, treatment planning, and clinical outcomes.
- Significant event analysis: Formal review and learning from any adverse events, near-misses, or incidents.
- Continuing professional development: All clinicians maintain CPD records in line with GDC requirements, supported by our funded training programme.
- Patient feedback integration: Systematic collection and analysis of patient satisfaction data to drive improvement.
Regulatory Compliance
Every practice in the Saint Visage network is registered with the appropriate regulatory body:
- England: Care Quality Commission (CQC)
- Scotland: Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS)
- Wales: Healthcare Inspectorate Wales (HIW)
- Northern Ireland: Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA)
All dentists and dental care professionals are individually registered with and regulated by the General Dental Council (GDC). We maintain systems to monitor registration status, indemnity cover, and fitness to practise for all clinicians.
Information Governance
We take the security and confidentiality of patient data extremely seriously. Our information governance programme includes:
- Registration with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) for each practice entity.
- Compliance with UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.
- Annual information governance training for all staff.
- Regular data protection impact assessments.
- Incident response procedures for data breaches.
- Secure storage and transmission of patient records.
Health and Safety
We comply with the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and all relevant regulations. Each practice maintains health and safety policies covering fire safety, infection control (HTM 01-05), radiation protection (IRR17 and IR(ME)R), COSHH, legionella management, and workplace safety. Risk assessments are conducted regularly and reviewed at least annually.
Anti-Bribery and Corruption
Saint Visage Dental Group has a zero-tolerance approach to bribery and corruption. We comply with the Bribery Act 2010 and maintain policies and procedures to prevent bribery in all forms. This includes due diligence on business partners, restrictions on gifts and hospitality, and mandatory reporting of any suspected corrupt activity.
Board Oversight
Our board of directors receives regular reports on clinical governance, regulatory compliance, complaints, incidents, and audit outcomes. The board is responsible for setting the strategic direction for quality and governance and for ensuring that adequate resources are allocated to maintain standards across the group.
- Governance Enquiries
Email: governance@saintvisage.co.uk
Questions about our policies?
Our governance team is available to discuss any aspect of our policies and procedures.