Ness Bank Dental Practice takes your safety very seriously.
Full written Risk Assessments have been carried out examining all aspects of the Practice’s operation as a fundamental part of the British Dental Association’s Good Practice Award. The practice is the first recipient of that award in the the Scottish Highlands.
General hazards such as fire are dealt with by those Risk Assessments. The staff are fully trained and the practice is fully equipped to deal with any events which might occur. All staff members regularly update their training in the management of medical emergencies as part of their annual CPD accreditation. As a new patient you will be asked to fill in a confidential medical history which will be checked at subsequent visits.
The practice has passed several inspections by both the Highland Primary Care Trust and the West of Scotland Centre for Postgraduate Dental Education.
Specifically, the practice has a dedicated sterile instrument preparation area. No clinical instrument is re-used without adequate cleaning and sterilisation. If an instrument can not be adequately cleaned and sterilised before re-use it is discarded and incinerated.
All instruments for re-use are inspected and physically cleaned. They are then cleaned in high power ultrasonic baths to ensure that they are totally physically clean. Our ultrasonic cleaners are checked daily by foil ablation tests to confirm their correct operation.
Instruments are sterilised in individual containers using one of our two steam autoclaves. Both autoclaves are regularly serviced and calibrated by Eschman, the manufacturers. Each autoclave is digitally controlled and gives a printed output which displays the temperature and pressure conditions for every load and every autoclave cycle. We check the calibration of each autoclave twice daily and as a final safeguard we include a test strip in every pack of instruments that we sterilise which changes colour and gives an immediate visual indication to your dentist that the instruments have been properly prepared.
Additionally, the water which passes through our instruments is specially bacteriologically treated to ensure that it is free from bio-film from water lines and potentially infective organisms. We run periodic bacteriological surveys to check the cleanliness of our water systems.
Clinical personnel work gloved (we have nitrile alternatives for patients with latex allergies) and with face masks. Intra oral suction systems are vented outside the building to avoid creating infective aerosols in the treatment rooms.
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Dentists’ Publication Scheme
This is a guide to the information published by each of the dentists at the Ness Bank Dental Practice. This guide is the dentists’ Publication Scheme as required by the Freedom on Information (Scotland) Act 2002. The Scheme applies to each dentist individually
The dentists are:-
– Dr Robert Purvis
– Dr Catriona Duncan
– Dr Jonathan Rosie
As providers of NHS services under the General Dental Services Regulations (as well as private care), the dentist are public authorities under the Freedom on Information (Scotland) Act 2002 and are required to adopt and maintain a scheme of the information we publish. The purpose of the Act is to ensure that organisations working for the public are more open about the information they have. The Guide has been prepared in consultation with the Scottish Information Commissioner and the Scottish General Dental Practice Committee of the British Dental Association.
The dentists at the practice have regard to the public interest in the information that it makes available. We are committed to openness and transparency.
From 1st January 2005 we have been required by the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 to respond to requests from the public to access recorded information that we hold about our NHS services. There are some exemptions to this right and it does not change the rights of our patients to have all of their personal information kept strictly confidential and available to them on request under the Data Protection Act 1998.
This guide will be reviewed regularly and we will also keep the list of publications up to date.
IntroductionThis Publication Scheme is a complete guide to the information routinely made available to the public by each of the dentist at Ness Bank Dental Practice. It is not a complete list of publications since this will change as other things are produced, but it is a description of the classes of information that we provide. A full list of publications is available by contacting the Practice Manager, Mrs Helen Barron, who is responsible for the day to day running of the scheme. Mrs Barron can be contacted in person at the practice, by telephoning 01463 236295 or by emailing [email protected].
This guide will be reviewed at regular intervals and we will monitor its effectiveness.
How much do they cost?All publications are free unless otherwise stated. Where a charge is made for publications, the cost is stated below under each class of information.
How are they published?All of the information is available in hard copy from the practice.
Your right to personal informationAs well as our published information, present and former patients of the practice have the right to access the personal information that we hold about them in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998. Details of how to do this are contained in the Practice Data Protection Policy which is available for the Practice Manager, Mrs Helen Barron.
FeedbackWe welcome your views on additional classes of information which might be included and on the publications themselves. If you have any comments or suggestions about the scheme, please send them to the Practice Manager, Mrs Helen Barron, at the practice.
ExemptionsWe aim to be as open as possible. However, information may be withheld where disclosure may seriously prejudice law enforcement, legal proceedings or regulatory or enforcement activity, or where law prohibits the disclosure. We may also withhold information which may seriously prejudice the commercial interests of any person or organisation; and information which is personal information under the Data Protection Act 1998. It may be that an otherwise accessible document contains exempt information, in which case it will not be possible to grant access to the entire document.
Even if the information is exempt, a request for it can still be made from January 2005.
Classes of information We hold various types of information which we review, retain or dispose of according to NHS rules. Our information is classed into six categories:
1.Who we are 2.Our services 3. Financial information 4.Complaints
5. Our policies and procedures 6.This guide
Class 1: Who we are Details of all the dentists and dental hygienists are contained in the practice information leaflet. Details include name, sex and date of first registration with the General Dental Council, specialist status and whether they are full or part time. The name of the Practice Manager is also included.
Class 2: Our services Information about our services is contained in the practice’s patient information leaflet which is available at Reception. The information includes
– Opening times
– Arrangement for emergency care
– Details of access to the premises for people with disabilities
– The languages we speak and the availability of interpreters
– Whether we have a dental hygienist or orthodontic treatment is available
– Information about the care and treatment provided by the practice
The practice only accepts new adult patients on a private basis. Children may be offered an NHS registration but this is at the discretion of the dentist concerned.
Standards Our standards are assured by NHS regulation relating to participation in clinical governance, clinical audit and peer review; and by the General Dental Council requirements for continuing professional development. Our care and treatment are also inspected by the Dental Reference Service of the Scottish Dental Practice board and our practices are inspected by the local Health Board.
Class 3: Financial Information We have information about:
– The cost of NHS treatment
– Entitlement to exemption and remission from NHS dental charges
– Our private charges
Our income from the NHS derives primarily from monthly fees for the number of patients we have on our list and fees for individual items of treatment. There are also some allowances for such thing as continuing professional development and the overall amount of NHS care we provide. These fees and allowances are set by Government and we claim separate fees for each treatment we provide by sending a form to the Scottish Dental Practice Board. In addition, for each individual patient, we receive a small continuing care (adult) or capitation (children) fee.
Out of this income the practice pays the full cost of providing care, including the provision of the building, equipment, materials and staff.
Class 4: Complaints We have a practice complaints procedure, a copy of which is available from Reception and any complaints about this publication scheme or about any aspect of the services provided by our dentists and dental staff should be made under this complaints procedure.
If we are unable to resolve any complaint about the Scheme, you can complain to the Scottish Information Commissioner who oversees the Act and whose contact details are below. From 1 January 2005, when the general right of access comes into force, there will be a formal appeal mechanism when information is withheld. Further details on this will be available on the Commissioner’s website at www.itspublicknowledge.info before this date.
The Scottish Information Commissioner can be contacted at Kinburn Castle, Doubledykes Road, St Andrews, Fife KY16 9DS, (Tel: 01334 464610).
Class 5: Practice policies We have policies and procedures which ensure that the practice operates in a safe and efficient manner. The leaflets cover various topics, such as what we do with the information we hold about patients, our payment policy and health and safety issues.
Copies of the policies are available from Reception.
NESS BANK DENTAL PRACTICE
General Data Protection Regulation
GDPR
This document sets out how Ness Bank Dental Practice uses and protects personal information as part of its commitment to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
Ness Bank Dental Practice understands your data is important to you and we are committed to ensuring that your privacy is protected. We want you to know that we will not sell or rent your data under any circumstances, without you consent. Should we ask you to provide information by which you can be identified, then you can be assured that it will only be used in accordance with this statement.
What patient information will we store:
- name, address, post code
- date of birth
- email address
- mobile telephone number, land line/work number
- other information relevant to you and your dental health
What is the lawful basis for processing this information?
If a business wants to process sensitive personal data (e.g. medical history) it can only do so if it has a lawful basis for processing the information. We must process this information in order to provide our patients with the correct treatment and maintain the privacy of the data we keep for our patients and staff.
The lawful basis for processing your data:
Processing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in the controller.
Ness Bank Dental Practice is in The Special Category Conditions:
- Healthcare, occupational health and public health and safety.
Who is the personal data shared with?
Where necessary or required we share information with:
- representatives of the person whose personal data we are processing
- professional dental specialists, advisers and consultants
- credit reference agency when consent is provided by the client (Medenta)
- debt collection agencies
- central government for NHS patients
How long is customer personal data kept?
- for 11 years from the last recorded dental activity for all patients over 18, or until a patient reaches 18 years of age.
Security
We are committed to ensuring that your information is secure. In order to prevent unauthorised access or disclosure, we have put in place suitable physical, electronic and managerial procedures to safeguard and secure the information we hold physically and electronically.
Controlling your personal information
At any time, you may choose to:
- Request a copy of your personal data held by Ness Bank Dental Practice.
- We are currently obliged, by law, to retain your dental medical records for several years (noted above).
If you believe that any information we are holding on you is incorrect or incomplete, please write to or email us as soon as possible, at Ness Bank Dental Practice, 6 Ness Bank, Inverness IV2 4SF ([email protected]). We will respond to any queries within 30 days and at no cost.
All enquiries relation to your data should be sent to [email protected]
15/05/2018