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Practice Policies

Complaints Policy

In this practice we take complaints very seriously and try to ensure that all our patients are pleased with their experience of our service. On the rare occasion patients wish to complain, they are dealt with courteously and promptly so that the matter is resolved as quickly as possible.

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Our aim is to react to complaints in the way in which we would want our complaint about a service to be handled and we respond to patient’s concerns in a caring and sensitive way.
Please contact our customer service team who are responsible for dealing with complaints about the services we provide: pm@treetopsdentalsurgery.co.uk

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Important Note: If you would like a copy of our complaints procedure please ask at reception who, will endeavour to provide you with one. If any patients require help with reading documents, completing forms, require translation or further explanation, the practice can arrange for assistance to be provided. This will all be held in a private area of the practice so as not to breach the confidentiality policy. 

Health and Safety

Every precaution has been taken to safe guard all of our patients and staff whilst here at the practice. We follow all of the current guidelines in relation to the Health and Safety Act.

Cross Infection Control

At our practice all our staff are fully trained and qualified in maintaining a high standard of cleanliness. We have a new Decontamination Suite where all our instruments are put through a specific order of sterilization, with separately designated rooms for sterile and unsterile instruments to prevent contamination. Wherever possible disposable instruments are used and autoclaves are serviced regularly and maintained in accordance with the manufacturer’s guidelines to ensure efficiency.

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All our procedures comply with the Current Best Practice scheme.

 

All our sterilization facilities are out of sight of the patient waiting room, however, should you wish to have a copy of our Infection Control Policy please do not hesitate to ask a member of staff who will be happy to provide this for you.

Data protection

To give you the very best in dental care we will require certain information about you and your health. Occasionally we will work with other health care professionals who will give us information about the care they have given you. This page will outline the type of information on you we will hold and what we will do with it.

 

Information We Collect

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We may ask for the following information:

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  • Personal details – name, date of birth, address, telephone numbers, email addresses, occupation, emergency contact

  • Information relating to your dental health and general health, such as;

    • clinical records (from your previous dentist and other professionals involved in your care)

    • Clinical photos, x-rays, study models, digital scans

    • Laboratory documents

    • Dental & medical histories

    • Registered doctors

    • Treatment plans and signed consent

    • Any notes regarding conversations about your dental care

    • Dates of your appointments

    • Details of any complaints you have made and how these have been dealt with

    • Correspondence with any other health care professionals regarding your care

  • Payments you have made with regards to the treatment

 

 

Who Has Access To Your Information?

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At the practice the following personnel with have access to your information: dentists, dental professionals involved in your care, and the reception team who are responsible for booking your appointments.

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How We Will Use Your Information

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To look after you and provide the dental care you need, we require up to date and accurate information about you.

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We will share your information with denplan  (if your making a claim) in relation to your treatment.

We will ask you for your contact preference in relation to your dental care. Our standard methods include, phone, email, text or letter.

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If we wish yo use your information for education or dental research, we will seek your consent first. We will anonymise your information if possible, and if not, give you the option to opt out of this education/research.

 

We may use your details to inform you of any new services or products available at the practice. If you do want to be kept informed, please let us know and you can opt in for our marketing communications.

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Sharing Information

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Your information will only normally be used by people working at the practice, but there may be instances when we need to share it to continue you care, for example with;

  • Your GP

  • Hospital/community dental service or other healthcare professional we may of referred you to

  • Private dental schemes (if you are a member)

 

We will only ever disclose your information on a need to know basis and will limit the information given to the minimum required.

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In some situations (or if required by law), we may need to disclose your information to a 3rd party that is not connected with your health, such as the HMRC, or government agencies or law enforcement.

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How We Keep Your Information Safe

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We will store your personal information on a secure practice computer system and we also utilize a manual filing system in some circumstances. Your information is secure and cannot be accessed by people who do not work at the practice and only employees on site will have access to the information. They are trained and understand the legal responsibility they have to maintain patient confidentiality and will follow practice procedures.

We take great care to ensure the computer system and filing system on site are secure. We use specific dental software to record and use your personal information effectively and safely. We carry out routine off site back ups of your information and we have a strict agreement with our provider to ensure they meet the obligations described in this policy to keep the information secure.

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Access To Your Information & Other Rights

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You have a right to have access to any information we hold about you. To ask for your information, please submit a request to the practice in writing or by email, or you can call us to request your data. We do not usually charge copies for you information, but if we do pass on the charge, we will explain the reasons.

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You can also send a request for us to:

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  • If you believe any information is incorrect – to correct it. If this has been disclosed to a third party, we will update them of the change

  • Erase information we have on you, but in some circumstances for legal reasons, we may be unable to delete certain information

  • Stop using your information – for example, to stop sending reminders or marketing communications

 

 

If You Do Not Agree

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If you do not want us to use your personal information as set out in this policy, please discuss the matter with your treating dentist. If you object to the way we collect and use your information, we may not be able to continue to be your dental healthcare professional.

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If you have any concerns over how we store or use your information and don’t feel comfortable to discuss it with your treating dentist or a member of the team, you can contact The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF (0303 123 1113 or 01625 545745).

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