Freedom Of Information 

NHS FREEDOM OF INFORMATION PUBLICATION SCHEME
FOR YOUNG’S DENTAL PRACTICE

Welcome to the Young’s Dental Practitioners’ Publication Scheme. This is a guide to the Dental Practitioners’ (who practice together) within the practice Publication Scheme as required by the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

Introduction

This Publication Scheme is a complete guide to the information routinely made available to the public by Young’s Dental Practice. It is a description of the information about our Dental Practitioners and Practice which we make publicly available. Some information is not made publicly available. It will be reviewed at regular intervals and we will monitor its effectiveness.

How much does it cost?

The publications are all free unless otherwise indicated within each Class [with £]. Where information is provided at a cost the charges will be calculated as set out in Class 7.

How is the information made available?

The information within each Class is [either downloadable from the practice website www.youngsdentalpractice.co.uk or] available in hard copy from reception. For information regarding this publication scheme please contact Mrs Samantha Thurkettle who will be pleased to receive your questions, comments and complaints. Mrs Samantha Thurkettle will make her best endeavour to supply all information requested in hard copy within 7 working days.

Your rights to information

• In addition to accessing the information identified in the Publication Scheme, you are entitled to request information about Young’s Dental Practice under the NHS Openness Code 1995.
• The Freedom of Information Act 2000 recognises that members of the public have the right to know how public services are organised and run, how much they cost and how the decisions are made.
• From January 1st 2005 it will oblige the Dental Practice to respond to requests about information that it holds, and is recorded in any format and it will create a right of access to that information. These rights are subject to some exemptions, which have to be taken into consideration before deciding what information it can release.
• New environmental information regulations may be introduced as early as 2003. These will enable similar access to environmental information as under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
• Under the Data Protection Act 1998, you are also entitled to access your dental records or any other personal information held about you and you can contact Mr K S Young at 23-25 Market Place, Snaith, East Riding DN14 9HE to do this.

Feedback

If you have any comments about the operation of the Publication Scheme, or how we have dealt with your request for information from the Scheme, please write to Mrs S Thurkettle at Young’s Dental Practice.

CLASSES OF INFORMATION

All information at the Young’s Dental Practice is held, retained and destroyed in accordance with NHS guidelines. Our commitment to publish information excludes any information, which can be legitimately withheld under the exemptions set out in the NHS Openness Code or Freedom of Information Act 2000. Where individual Classes are subject to exemptions, the main reasons are e.g. the protection of commercial interests and personal information under the Data Protection Act 1998.
This applies to all Classes within the Publication Scheme. The information on this Scheme is grouped into the following broad categories:

Who we are

We are all general dental practitioners providing primary dental care.

2. Our Services

• Opening times: Mon –Thurs 0900 –1230 and 1400 –1730, Fri as before but 1400 – 1600, alternate Saturdays.
• Emergency Service provided to telephone Young’s Dental Practice for emergency number.
• Wheelchair access through ramp at rear of practice but not to toilet facilities upstairs.
• English spoken.
• We offer the range of NHS dental treatment under contract to the NHS we no longer are able to accept new patients under the NHS
• Provide all aspects of general dentistry in addition we provide:
  hypnotherapy/homeopathy/acupuncture/Ozone therapy.

3. Financial and funding information

We can provide you with information about:

• The cost of NHS treatment
• Entitlement to exemption and remission from NHS dental charges
• Private charges as openly displayed at our web site www.youngsdentalpractice.co.uk or in our practice brochure.

The majority of our NHS income derives primarily from individual items of treatment and a smaller percentage from monthly fees for the number of patients we have on our list. There are also some allowances for such things as continuing professional development and the level of our commitment to the NHS.

Our figure for turnover from NHS income is £150,000 before expenses. This income is utilised to pay for the running of the dental practice such as staff salaries, rent/rates, practice development funding, the purchase of equipment its maintenance and servicing, dental materials, dental laboratory fees, staff and training improvements and all other business expenses.

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4. Regular publications and information for the public

Treatment Information Leaflets which give a more in depth advice about some of the following treatments and conditions

• Types of dental treatment
• Gum Disease
• Crowns
• Bridges
• Root Canal Treatment
• Cosmetic Dentistry
• Treatment for Anxious Patients
• Healthy diet
• Healthy teeth
• Reducing anxiety about dental care
• Other health information
• NHS Information leaflets

A full range of leaflets is available in both waiting areas. In addition we have a website www.youngsdentalpractice.co.uk, practice information brochure, Pictures for Patients and practice newsletters.

5. Complaints

We take every complaint very seriously and make every effort never to have an unhappy patient. To this end we operate a practice based complaint procedure. You can complain in person, by telephone and in writing We have a practice complaints procedure, a copy of which is available from Mrs Samantha Thurkettle.
We will reply within three working days and following an investigation we will be able to fully respond within 10 working days.

6. Our policies and procedures

General policies and procedures are in use within the practice. These include, but are not restricted to, data protection, prescribing and prescription, health and safety, confidentiality, complaints.

This practice is a member of the Confederation of Dental Employers (CODE). CODE helps us to maintain and improve our service to patients, to ensure health and safety and to remain compliant with the current regulations and legislation.

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7. This Publication Scheme

In this class we will publish any changes we make to this Publication Scheme, the criteria on which our information management policies are made and a referral point for all enquires regarding information management generally in the practice. We will also publish any proposed changes or additions to publications already available.

Cost of Information

For the most part, we will charge you only for hard copies [or copying onto media (e.g. CD ROM)]. Some information is available free, but for others there may be a charge. The charges will vary according to how information is made available. Charges are as follows:

a) Via the Dental Practice/Primary Care Trust Web Site – Free of charge, although any charges for Internet Service provider and personal printing costs would have to be met by the individual.

For those without Internet access, a single print-out as on the website would be available by post from Mrs S Thurkettle or by personal application at the practice 23-25 Market Place, Snaith, East Riding DN14 9HE.
However, requests for multiple printouts, or for archived copies of documents, which are no longer accessible or available on the web, may attract a charge for the retrieval, photocopy, postage etc. We will let you know the cost and charges that will have to be paid in advance. We will not provide printouts of other organisation’s websites.]

b) Leaflets and brochures-free of charge for leaflets or booklets on, for example, services we offer to the public. A list is available from reception.

c) E-mail-will be free of charge unless it says otherwise

The charges will be reviewed regularly.

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Useful Resources

Web sites:

Publications

• NHS Openness Code
• FOI Act 2000
• Code of Practice under Section 45 FOI Act 2000
• Code of Practice under Section 46 FOI Act 2000

Copyright

Material available through this Publication Scheme is subject to the Dental Practice’s copyright unless otherwise indicated. Unless expressly indicated to the contrary, it may be reproduced free of charge in any format or medium provided it is done so accurately in a manner which will not mislead. Where items are re-published or copied to others, you must identify the source and acknowledge copyright status. This permit does not extend to third party material, accessed through the scheme. For HMSO Guidance Notes click here