Dental Tribune United Kingdom Edition

March 14-20, 201120 United Kingdom EditionPractice Management A re you so busy that the mere thought of market- ing has you retreating to the sanctuary of your surgery? With so many aspects to their job, dentists rarely have ‘spare’ time and often marketing is considered a spare time task. Yet communicating regular- ly with existing patients and engaging prospective patients can be vital to the continued growth of a practice. If the only communication with patients outside of the practice is via a recall letter, the relationship may become insecure and open to invasion by other practices in the area. A newsletter is an excellent w a y o f k e e p - ing in t o u c h , m a k - ing your p a t i e n t s feel valued and bring- ing them up to date with what your prac- tice offers. You add value to t h e service you provide by giving something extra. Articles in a newsletter can be of general interest as well as bringing the avail- ability of new treatments to the attention of readers. This will, in turn, encourage them to visit your practice to discuss treat- ment options. How many of your pa- tients know that implants are a permanent solution to miss- ing teeth? Do they know that the staining of their teeth can be corrected? A trigger to book A feature on whitening or other cosmetic dental treat- ments, could be the perfect catalyst for a patient to make a booking if they read it before a special event such as a birth- day, wedding, graduation day, Mothering Sunday, Father’s Day and so on. Alternatively, somebody might book the treatment as a gift for a friend or relative. Patients are also more likely to visit your practice regularly Keep in regular contact with your patients Cathy Johnson looks at high quality communication for busy dentists www.thedbg.co.uk For more information and a quote contact the DBG on 0845 00 66 112 Please Note: Errors and omissions excluded. Any prices quoted are subject to VAT. The DBG reserves the right to alter or withdraw any of their services at any time without prior notice. Are you waiting to find out when the Care Quality Commission* inspect your practice? Your compliance with Clinical Governance and Patient Outcomes will be questioned with the introduction of the Care Quality Commission*, HTM 01-05 and the increase in PCT practice inspections. Would you like to know how you would fare when your practice is inspected and have the opportunity to take corrective action? The DBG Clinical Governance Assessment is the all important experience of a practice audit visit rather than the reliance on a self audit which can lead to a false sense of compliance. The assessment is designed to give you reassurance that you have fulfilled your obligations and highlight any potential problems. We will provide help and advice on the latest guidance throughout the visit. • Your premises including access, facilities, security, fire precautions, third parties and business continuity plans. • Information governance including Freedom of Information Act, manual and computerised records, Data Protection and security. • Training, documentation and certificates. • Radiography including IRR99 and IR(ME)R2000 compliance. • Cross infection and decontamination including HTM 01-05 compliance and surgery audits. • Medical emergencies including resuscitation, drugs, equipments and protocols. • Training, documentation and certificates. • Waste disposal and documentation and storage. • Practice policies and written procedures. • Clinical audit and patient outcomes including quality measures. The assessment will take approximately four hours of your Practice Manager’s time depending on the number of surgeries and we will require access to all areas of your practice. A report will be despatched to you confirming the results of our assessment. If you have an inspection imminent then we suggest that you arrange your DBG assessment at least one month before the inspection to allow you time to carry out any recommendations if required. Following the assessment you may wish to have access to the DBG Clinical Governance Package with on-line compliance manuals. The areas the DBG assesses are: Clinical Governance including Patient Quality Measures - Is your practice compliant? Have you addressed all 28 CQC outcomes? ? *England only. 20YEARSYEARS 20 9361 DBG ClinicalGov The probe 338x244.qxd:Layout 1 1/7/10 13:39 Page 1