Due Care Policies

Dental examination for new and regular patients comprise of 3 key parts:

• Examination of the oral soft tissues and screening for oral cancer
• Examination of the gums and the monitoring of gum condition
• Examination of the teeth

All patients are required to complete a medical history form which is checked and updated at each subsequent appointment. This helps us ensure we have your accurate and up to date details available to hand when doing our examinations.

Treatments are only planned and proceeded with until after a patient has given their informed consent to the appropriate member of staff. Written estimates will be available for all courses of treatment and patients are always fully advised in case of any change to the original treatment plan.

Radiographs are only taken where clinically justified and we take steps to ensure they are as accurate as possible. All of our dentists receive regular radiography training as per IRMER guidelines.

At Maelor Dental Care we fully comply with the Health Technical Memorandum (HTM 01-05) meeting best practice guidelines.

Dental instruments and equipment are fully cleaned, sterilised and re-packaged in the Decontamination sections of each practice and we have full time members of staff who are responsible for this. Regular audits are undertaken along with staff training to ensure consistency and a high level of cleanliness across all of our practices.

Maelor Dental Care is registered with the CQC in England.

All of our dentists and dental hygienists are registered with the General Dental Council (GDC). Our nursing team members are also either fully registered as Dental Care Professionals or are undertaking a recognised training qualification in dental nursing as required by the GDC.

General Dental Council Contact Details:

37 Wimpole Street
London
W1G 8DQ

Tel: 0845 222 4141
Email: information@gdc-uk.org
Website: www.gdc-uk.org

We carry out regular patient surveys to ensure each practice is meeting the needs and requirements of its patients to an adequate standard. We also encourage our patients to give us their feedback and suggestions through a variety of methods including patient suggestion boxes and online forms.

Maelor Dental Care take their safeguarding responsibilities extremely seriously. We have procedures in place to ensure that vulnerable adults and children are treated with dignity and respect at all times.

Our members of staff regularly take part in CPR training and management of medical emergencies.

At Maelor Dental Care we receive regular yearly training in fire safety and all of our fire safety equipment is checked and inspected on a regular basis.

All complaints are dealt with in a serious and timely manner to ensure our high standards are always adhered to. Should you wish to contact us for the purpose of highlighting a complaint please visit this page.

General
The practice collects, holds, processes and shares personal data in accordance with the provisions of the General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018. We have carried out and will review as appropriate, a Data Audit.

This Policy applies to personal data in the following categories:

• Patients’ Records, both current and past
• Employees’ data
• Contractors’ data – including dental registrants
• CCTV footage

Data Protection Principles
We shall ensure that Personal Data, including Special Data (health) will be:

• Processed lawfully, fairly and in a transparent manner
• Collected for specified, explicit and legitimate purposes only
• Adequate, relevant and necessary for the purpose
• Accurate and updated
• Kept for no longer than is necessary
• Processed in a secure manner and protected against loss, destruction or damage

Lawful Basis
Data will be held and processed under the following Lawful Basis:

• Patient Data and health records: for the Legitimate Interests of the practice in providing health care and treatment
• Employment records: as a Legal Obligation for the provision of Employment Terms and conditions and supply of data to HM Revenue and Customs and other statutory functions such as pensions and benefits
• Contractor Data: for the fulfilment of contracts
• CCTV Data: for the detection and prevention of crime
• We will additionally secure the specific consent of patients for the provision of electronic communication under the Privacy and Electronic Communication Regulations 2011

Data Subjects’ Rights
We will ensure that the rights of Data Subjects are respected and maintained by:

• The issue and promotion of a Privacy Notice detailing data processed, its origin and any disclosures, the Lawful Bases for processing, and the rights of Data Subjects
• The maintenance of a Subject Access process and the appointment of Anne-Marie Walters as Data Protection Officer to oversee that process and to advise on compliance
• A legitimate interest assessment ensuring individuals’ rights are balanced with the legitimate needs of the practice.
• A Data Retention schedule
• An Information Security policy
• A Data Breach Policy
• Contractual assurance of adequate safeguards if data is processed outside the European Union

Subject Access Requests
All data subjects may submit a request to be informed of the data we hold about them, its lawful basis and from whom it is/was obtained and to whom it may be disclosed. We will provide this information without charge and as soon as is reasonably possible and in any event within one month of a valid request being received. Access requests should be addressed (or forwarded without delay) to Anne-Marie Walters.

Training and Compliance
We will ensure that all staff are aware of their duty of strict confidentiality regarding personal data, both professional and under the Data Protection law. We will provide training and assure compliance and will review and refresh training on a regular basis.

It is a condition of continuing employment that all staff are aware of, sign their acceptance of, and comply with, their obligations under this Policy. Any queries or concerns must be immediately addressed to Anne-Marie Walters. A breach of this Policy may amount to misconduct and result in disciplinary action. Serious or persistent breaches may result in dismissal.

Security of Data
The practice will publish and maintain an Information Security policy to assure against any loss, damage, unlawful disclosure or non-compliant erasure of data. All staff will be trained and advised of their obligations under this Policy