At The Portland Dental Practice, we aim to provide dental care of a consistent quality for all patients, meeting the high standards expected in any clinical setting. All members of the dental team should understand their role in providing our patients with high standards of dental care.
The policies, systems and processes in place in our practice, reflect our professional and legal responsibilities and follow recognised standards of good practice. We provide training to ensure all team members are competent and confident to undertake the duties that are expected of them. we evaluate our systems and processes on a regular basis through audit, peer review and patient feedback.
We work with various external agencies to ensure our understanding of professional and legal requirements is up to date. These agencies include the RQIA, GDC and British Dental Association, the primary care organisation.
Quality standards and procedures
In providing patients with care of a consistent quality, we will:
Provide a safe and welcoming environment
Ensure all members of the dental team are appropriately trained
Provide patients with information about the practice and the care available and ensure that they understand the terms on which care is offered
Display indicative treatment charges
Explain all treatment options and agree clinical decisions with the patient explaining the possible risks involved with each
Provide treatment plans based on the patient’s choice, with an estimate of the likely costs
Obtain valid consent is for all treatment and written consent where the treatment is extensive or expensive or provided under conscious sedation
Refer to specialists for investigation, advice or treatment as appropriate, and without undue delay
Maintain contemporaneous clinical records with an up-to-date medical history
Store patient records securely to ensure patient confidentiality
Ensure information about how to provide feedback or make a complaint is readily available for patients and includes a named practice contact
For our dental team, we will:
Provide a safe working environment, identifying hazards and assessing the risks of each
Provide induction training for all new team members
Provide job descriptions and contracts of employment for all members of staff
Review and update job descriptions annually to reflect current duties and responsibilities
Agree, in writing, the terms for all self-employed contractors working at the practice
Provide ongoing training and identify development opportunities for all employees
Maintain staff records and ensure that the following information is up to date:
relevant medical history information
emergency contact details
absence through holiday and sickness
performance reviews
in house and external training
Ensure that all staff are kept up to date with all practice policies and procedures, including patient charges and the relevant forms.
The dental team
All team members are expected to follow the practice policies and protocols, which can be found in surgery 1. New team members receive training in practice-wide procedures, policies and quality assurance activities as part of their induction.
All team members should only undertake duties for which they have the skills and must understand how their role contributes to the services provided by the practice. Annual appraisal meetings provide the opportunity to assess individual training needs.
Everyone must understand their role in dealing with medical emergencies, including a collapsed patient, and are expected to participate in the annual training provided.
All GDC registrants meet their continuing professional development requirements and maintain records of their individual CPD activity. The practice will maintain records of any practice-wide training and individual training provided.
Audit
As part of monitoring the service we provide for patients, we undertake regular audits of our procedures and protocols and consider inputs, outputs, effectiveness and efficiency.
Inputs: the total number of patients treated, and the number treated by specific groups
Outputs: the oral health achievements as a direct result of our intervention
Effectiveness: patient views of our effectiveness in improving their oral health, and their levels of satisfaction
Efficiency: patient retention rates, referrals to others for advice and/or treatment, and the quality of data collected
Quantitative data
Each month, we record:
Total number of patients seen
New patients seen
Failed appointments (and unused time)
Waiting list numbers – for assessment and for treatment
Patient safety incidents and the outcome of investigations
Positive feedback and compliments
Complaints and negative comments.
Qualitative data
We record the following qualitative data:
Audit results (patient and service) and improvements
Complaint trends and actions taken to improve the service
Waiting times and evidence of demand management
Staffing and staff turnover
CPD activity on an individual and practice-wide basis
Case mix of clinical presentation and procedure outcome
Results of annual patient satisfaction survey on a sample number of patients.
Clinical governance
Our clinical governance framework incorporates the NHS clinical governance framework themes:
Infection control
Child protection
Dental radiography
Staff, patient, public and environmental safety assessment
Evidence-based practice and research
Prevention and public health
Clinical records, patient privacy and confidentiality
Staff involvement and staff development
Clinical staff requirements and development
Patient information and involvement handling, patient feedback
Fair and accessible care
Clinical audit and peer review.
Each team member understands their role in delivering a patient-focussed service. We share information and encourage team members to raise concerns and suggest improvements. We also seek feedback from patients.
We monitor the implementation of and adherence to our policies and procedures, and review them on a regular basis to identify opportunities for improvement.
We allow for and encourage CPD, staff training and development
