What the BDA Good Practice logo means

This logo shows that our practice is a member of the British Dental Association's goodpractice scheme.

To call ourselves a goodpractice, we have

• carefully looked at the service that we provide for our patients and compared it against nationally recognised standards of good practice for patient care. There are 96 aspects that we have to check
• prepared a dossier about our practice to show how we are meeting the Good Practice Scheme's requirements. The BDA ask to see parts of the dossier before we can join the Scheme.
• agreed to let goodpractice Scheme inspectors visit the practice whenever they want
• continued to carry out our own internal checks on working methods.

Our membership lasts for three years; at the end of this time we have to reapply and demonstrate that we are still complying with nationally recognised standards of good practice. By displaying the current year, the goodpractice plaque shows that our membership is up to date.

If you would like to read more about the work we have done to achieve membership of the goodpractice Scheme and how it will affect you as a patient of the practice, please ask a member of staff for the patient information booklet. The staff and dentists at the practice will also be happy to answer any of your questions.

The goodpractice Commitment

Every dentist and staff member in our practice has made a personal commitment to quality dentistry.

• We aim to provide dental care of a consistently good quality for all patients. We have management systems to help us and these define each practice member's responsibilities when looking after you
• We will work with you to provide care that meets your needs and wishes. We will explain options, where appropriate, and costs so that you can make an informed choice. We will always explain what we are proposing to do and tell you about any significant risks
• Practice working methods are reviewed regularly at staff meetings. We encourage staff to make suggestions for improving the way we care for our patients
• We look after your general health and safety while receiving dental care. We will ask you about your general health and about any medicines that you are taking. This helps us to treat you safely. We keep all information about you confidential
• Infection control and cleanliness is also essential to the safety of our patients. All staff working in clinical practice receive training on the current standards of infection control
• We screen all patients for mouth cancer at routine checkups. We discuss tobacco and alcohol use because they increase your oral cancer risk
• All staff in the practice take part in continuing professional education to keep our skills and knowledge up-to-date
• All staff joining the practice are given training in practice procedures. Once a year there is an individual review of training needs for everyone in the practice
• We regularly ask patients for their views on our services. We have systems for dealing promptly with patient complaints and for ensuring that lessons are learnt from any mistakes that we make. We encourage feedback
• Every member of the practice is aware of the need to work safely under General Dental Council guidelines.

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