Dental Tribune United Kingdom Edition

responsibilities to comply with the directive. I created and implement- ed a group policy as well as a practice procedure as to what is required to fulfil our legal obligations to our patients. I am currently creating tool box talks during training sessions to talk about it further and what it means to the patient and the risk we take if we do not comply. The process In our practice procedure I have outlined to the whole den- tal team as to what the process should be from the prescribing of the appliance to dispatch- ing thereof. The outline of our practice procedure is as such: • All laboratories are to supply each patient with a statement of manufacture for all laboratory work manufactured. • As and when the lab work is delivered to the practice, the dentist and the nurse should make sure that a copy is avail- able for the patient. • If a statement of manufac- ture is not accompanied by the laboratory work, then the nurse must inform the practice manager who in turn must call the laboratory and request a faxed copy with immediate ef- fect. A lab doc that states it is compliant is not a statement of manufacture. • The dentists and the prac- tice managers are responsible for liaising with the labora- tories and on guiding those on the necessary requirements as the Department of Health have made it the responsibil- ity of the treating dentist to inform their labs of the statement of manufacture. • If the patient declines to take a copy away with them then this should be noted in the patient’s medical notes and the practice must file it away for safe keep- ing for the life-span of the ap- pliance should the patient re- quest a copy later on. • If the patient chooses to take the statement of manufacture then, a copy must be made and the patient must be asked to sign the copy and it must be dated and placed on file. This is in the event that the patient for- gets that they received a copy or possibility of misplacement. Good Practice To assist the labs I instructed my practice managers to direct the dental labs and technicians to the article in the Summer 2010 GDC magazine written by David Smith, who is a den- tal technician as well as a GDC member. We also shared good practice from elsewhere. The process, though stressful dur- ing the implementation phase, helped us build stronger work- ing relationships with our labs. To protect the practice as well as the patients it is vitally important that you cover all bases when deal- ing with implementing new policies or procedures into the practice. Only when the whole team understands what is being asked of them will they be able to comply. As Winston Churchill once said: ‘‘We are all worms. But I be- lieve that I am a glow-worm.’’ DT page 8DTß Winston Churcill said - ‘‘I believe that I am a glow worm’’ About the author Originally from South Africa, Sha- ron Holmes has worked in the field of dental practice management since 1992. In 2003, she moved to London City Dental Prac- tice where after 18 months, was re- sponsible for man- aging four practices in the group. The London City Dental Practice is now part of a mini co-operative group called the Dental Arts Studio, of which she has been instrumental in its creation. February 14-20, 201110 Practice Management United Kingdom Edition Prices range from ONLY £13.99up to £19.99 Dress for success… To view the full selection of styles and colours, visit www.dentalsky.com and download or request the latest brochures. Dental Sky is proud to offer you the latest ranges of Authentic Scrubs. * Buy any 3 garments and get the cheapest one FREE! Offer closes 31/03/2011. DENTAL SKY WHOLESALER LTD Unit A, Foster Road, Ashford, Kent TN24 0SH Fax: 0800 294 4701 E-mail: sales@dentalsky.com 0800 294 47000800 294 47000800 294 4700 www.dentalsky.com Call FREE Call us for your FREE DentalSky Catalogue Follow us on for links go to: DH19659 Workwear Ad A4.indd 1 09/02/2011 12:38