Key Takeaways:
Real examples of what goes wrong in clinics
Why small oversights can lead to big problems
What good and bad compliance actually looks like in practice
The good, the bad, and the what were they thinking
After years of walking through dental and medical practices, there is not much Ian has not seen.
Some clinics are spot on. Clean, compliant, well run, and clearly cared for. Others are not quite there yet. And then there are the ones that leave you wondering how on earth things got that far.
This is not about naming names. It is about sharing real moments from real visits that highlight why compliance matters and how easy it is to get it wrong.
Some of these will make you laugh. Some might make you wince. All of them have one thing in common. They could have been avoided.
The emergency exit that was not an exit
One practice proudly showed its wheelchair accessible emergency evacuation route. In reality, it was a thin sheet of plywood propped from the top of the stairs, hooked onto a street-level windowsill.
The only problem? The window it led to had been painted shut.
A creative solution, but not quite the one the fire regulations had in mind.
Fourteen years of nothing
During one visit, a clinic admitted they had been suspended by the Care Quality Commission for four months.
There had been no training, no CPD, no documentation. And to top it off, minor surgery was being carried out in the decontamination room.
This is what happens when compliance is not just overlooked, but completely ignored.
The lightbulb that time forgot
At a practice in Marlow, a missing lightbulb at the bottom of the stairs was flagged.
Not for the first time.
It had been picked up years earlier during a previous visit. Seven years later, same issue, same missing bulb.
Sometimes it is not the big things that cause problems. It is the small ones that never get sorted.
Brand new and already failing
A newly built medical centre should have been a dream handover.
Instead, the first visit uncovered incorrectly fitted fire doors, the wrong fire exit signage, and poor lighting in the patient car park and footpath.
The saving grace? It was all caught early enough to be fixed while the builders were still on site.
Rusty trays in the steriliser
In one practice, the trays going into the sterilisation process were visibly rusty.
Not worn. Not slightly discoloured. Rusty.
It is the kind of detail that tells you everything you need to know about what is really happening behind the scenes.
Stuck in 1990
One visit felt like stepping back in time.
No fire alarm. No handrails on steps. No decontamination room. Domestic doors labelled as fire doors. Incorrect signage. A fire blanket that was not even hung up.
The silver lining? The practice next door seemed far more open to doing things properly.
Top marks... somehow
A practice had recently passed a CQC inspection with flying colours.
On paper, everything looked great. In reality, there were multiple gaps. Missing signage, no emergency lighting, no fire plan, incorrect extinguisher labelling.
It just goes to show, passing an inspection does not always mean everything is as it should be.
The cupboard that should not be there
A fit-out company proudly claimed to meet infection control standards.
Then installed a freestanding cupboard in a clinical space.
The top could not be cleaned properly between patients, making it a perfect place for bacteria to build up.
An instant fail, and a reminder that not all “experts” get it right.
What this really tells you
These stories are not here to catch anyone out.
They are here to show how easy it is for things to slip through the cracks. Sometimes it is a missed detail. Sometimes it is a misunderstanding. Sometimes it is years of things being left unchecked.
And sometimes, it is just a case of no one ever pointing it out.
Frequently asked questions
Are these kinds of issues really that common?
Are these kinds of issues really that common?
Yes. Not always to this extreme, but variations of these come up regularly in everyday practice assessments.
Would something like this fail a CQC inspection?
Some of these would be immediate fails. Others would raise concerns that could lead to further investigation or required improvements.
How do I know if my practice has issues like this?
The simplest way is to have a proper assessment carried out. A fresh pair of eyes will always spot things you have become used to.
You do not need to learn the hard way
Most of the issues above could have been picked up and fixed quickly with the right guidance.
That is exactly what DAM is here for.
No one wants to end up a health and safety horror story, give Ian and the team a call. They will take a proper look, keep things light, and make sure everything is as it should be.
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