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Practice Policies

Our practice policies explain how your care is planned, how your safety is protected and how your information is handled. For a full copy of any policy, please ask our practice manager or call 023 9217 0201.

PRACTICE POLICIES

Our policies 

Select a policy to read a summary. Full copies are available from our practice manager.

You can see the records we hold about you free of charge. To receive a copy, please write to our practice manager. If anything is inaccurate, we will correct it and confirm the change in writing.

Allergies and intolerances can appear without any previous history. We check for changes in your health and medication before treatment begins, particularly where medicines form part of your treatment plan

We ask for at least two working days’ notice to change or cancel an appointment. Deposits are refunded in full when this notice is given and are not refunded for late cancellations or missed appointments. This keeps appointment times available for other patients. If we need to cancel or delay your appointment, we will contact you as soon as possible, explain why and offer the earliest available alternative.

A chaperone is present at every consultation, examination and procedure. This is usually a member of our team, although you are welcome to bring a relative or friend.

All team members hold an enhanced DBS check, and the practice has a named lead for the protection of children and vulnerable adults. Any concern is taken seriously and acted on promptly.

Children must be accompanied by an adult at all times. Our team cannot supervise children while a parent or carer is being treated, so please arrange childcare where possible or bring your child into the treatment room.

We follow current infection prevention guidance and take the same precautions for every patient. Our infection prevention and control policy sets out the detail.

Your records are stored securely and seen only by the team members involved in your care. We share information with other healthcare professionals only when your treatment requires it.

Our reception, main surgery and accessible toilet are on the ground floor. Practice information is available in alternative formats, including large print and Braille. Please tell us in advance if you need any assistance and we will arrange it.

We have plans in place to keep patients and staff safe, and to continue providing care, if there is a fire, flood, loss of utilities or another emergency.

Every patient receives the same standard of care regardless of age, disability, gender, race, religion or belief, sexual orientation, or marital or civil partnership status. The same standards apply to everyone we employ.

Our equipment is suitable for its purpose, properly maintained, used correctly and safely, and tested and inspected as required.

Our clinicians keep up to date with current evidence-based guidance, use recognised care pathways and referral protocols, and share clinical knowledge at regular practice meetings.

We remind patients of appointments by their preferred method and give as much notice as we can if we need to make a change. In return, we ask you to arrive on time and to tell us in good time if you cannot attend. Repeated missed appointments may lead us to review future treatment.

Price lists are available at reception and on this website. You will be told the cost of your treatment at your consultation and given a written estimate before treatment begins.

The practice has the financial resources needed to continue providing safe and appropriate dental services to the standard described in our statement of purpose.

Our clinicians maintain their competence through the continuing professional development required by the General Dental Council. Their performance is reviewed regularly through appraisal and feedback from patients and colleagues.

A chaperone is always present when we treat a child or vulnerable adult. Staff conduct towards patients is appropriate at all times, and any concern is referred to our safeguarding lead.

We follow Department of Health decontamination guidance. Treatment rooms and equipment are decontaminated between patients, single-use instruments are used wherever possible, and our procedures are audited every year.

Emergency equipment, including a defibrillator, is kept at the practice and all clinical staff are trained to use it.

We take a full medical history from every new patient and review it at each check-up. Health conditions and medicines can affect dental treatment, so please tell us about any changes.

Water from our dental equipment passes through a mercury trap before it leaves the practice.

Smoking is not permitted anywhere on the practice premises. This protects patients, visitors and staff from second-hand smoke.

We report to the Care Quality Commission any event that affects the health, safety or welfare of people who use our services, so that action can be taken where needed.

We aim to keep our use of dental materials, energy, paper and other consumables to a minimum.

We run a quality assurance programme covering infection control, treatment quality, health and safety and the safe use of X-rays. We follow a policy of minimum intervention, which means carrying out the least treatment needed to achieve the best result for you.

If you are unhappy with any part of your care, please tell us in person, by telephone or in writing. Our complaints manager will investigate, keep you informed and reply in writing. If you remain dissatisfied, you can contact the Dental Complaints Service.

We explain your options, answer your questions and record your consent before treatment starts. You may withdraw consent at any time. We follow General Dental Council guidance on consent, and the Mental Capacity Act where a patient may be unable to make a decision for themselves.

We aim to treat every patient with dignity and respect, give clear information and involve you in decisions about your care. We review patient feedback, surveys and complaints each year to maintain and improve our standards.

You will be told the fees, payment methods and when payment is due when your appointment is made. Private patients sign a treatment plan and estimate, and the balance is due at the final appointment.

Every team member has a training record that is reviewed at an annual appraisal, where further training is planned in line with General Dental Council guidance.

Our clinical team gives advice on oral hygiene, fluoride, diet, smoking and alcohol, checks for early signs of mouth cancer, and recommends mouthguards for contact sports.

We check your gums, teeth and mouth regularly, assess your individual risk factors and give advice in line with the national Delivering Better Oral Health guidance.

Our Patient Privacy Notice explains how we handle your personal information.

Every team member is expected to put patients’ interests first and to raise a concern if they believe a patient may be at risk. Staff who raise concerns in good faith are protected by law.

The interval between your check-ups is set individually, based on your oral health and guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), and is recorded in your notes.

Our team uses the recycling facilities provided for paper, cardboard, glass and plastics.

If you need treatment that we do not provide, we will refer you to another practitioner, explain the reasons and pass on the relevant information. Our clinicians only carry out treatment they are trained and competent to provide.

Any registered manager of the practice must be of good character and have the qualifications, skills and experience the role requires.

The person leading the service undertakes appropriate training so that patients’ care, treatment and support needs are met.

As a limited company, the practice has a nominated individual who supervises its management and has the character, qualifications, skills and experience to do so.

We identify risks to patients and staff and either remove them or reduce them as far as possible. This covers areas including health and safety, infection control, clinical waste, X-ray safety and staff training.

We use digital X-rays, which require a lower dose of radiation. Only trained and authorised team members operate the equipment.

Our aim is to improve and maintain the dental health of our patients, involve them in planning their treatment and deliver care in line with General Dental Council standards. Treatment is provided by our dentists, hygienists and therapists at 307 Copnor Road.

Where possible, we choose suppliers with sustainable policies and procedures.

We work to reduce the environmental impact of the practice by managing energy and water use, cutting waste, recycling and reducing paper records.

Every patient receives a written, personalised treatment plan based on an assessment of their needs and choices. Any change to your plan is noted and agreed with you before the treatment is carried out.

We are committed to a safe working environment. Threats, verbal abuse or physical aggression towards any member of our team will not be accepted.