You must justify the trust that patients, the public and your colleagues place in
you by always acting honestly and fairly in your dealings with them.
You must make sure you do not bring the profession into disrepute.
You must make sure that any advertising, promotional material or other information
that you produce is accurate and not misleading, and complies with the IDA’s guidance
on ethical advertising.
You must justify the trust that patients, the public and your colleagues place in
you by always acting honestly and fairly in your dealings with them.
You must make sure you do not bring the profession into disrepute.
You must make sure that any advertising, promotional material or other information
that you produce is accurate and not misleading, and complies with the IDA’s guidance
on ethical advertising.
A holistic approach means you must take account of patients’ overall health, their
psychological and social needs, their long term oral health needs and their desired
outcomes.
You must provide patients with treatment that is in their best interests, providing
appropriate oral health advice and following clinical guidelines relevant to their
situation. You may need to balance their oral health needs with their desired outcomes.
If their desired outcome is not achievable or is not in the best interests of their
oral health, you must explain the risks, benefits and likely outcomes to help them
to make a decision.
You must know about the laws and regulations which apply to your clinical practice,
your premises and your obligations as an employer and you must follow them at all
times. This will include (but is not limited to) legislation relating to:
the disposal of clinical and other hazardous waste
radiography
health and safety
decontamination
medical devices.
You must make sure that you have all necessary vaccinations and follow guidance
relating to blood- borne viruses.
You must follow the guidance on medical emergencies and training updates
You must record all patient safety incidents and report them promptly.
You must not discriminate against patients on the grounds of:
age
disability
gender reassignment
marriage and civil partnership
pregnancy and maternity
race
religion or belief
sex
sexual orientation.
You must also ensure that you do not discriminate against patients or groups of
patients for any other reasons such as nationality, special needs, health, lifestyle
or any other consideration.
You must be aware of and adhere to all your responsibilities as set out in relevant
equalities legislation.
You must consider patients’ disabilities and make reasonable adjustments to allow
them to receive care which meets their needs. If you cannot make reasonable adjustments
to treat a patient safely, you should consider referring them to a colleague.
You must not express your personal beliefs (including political, religious or moral
beliefs) to patients in any way that exploits their vulnerability or could cause
them distress.
You must always put your patients’ interests before any financial, personal or other
gain.
You must make clear to your patients which treatments can be provided.
You must refuse any gifts or payment especially if accepting them could affect,
or could appear to affect, your professional judgment.
When you are referring patients to another member of the dental team, you must make
sure that the referral is made in the patients’ best interests rather than for your
own, or another team member’s, financial gain or benefit.
If you believe that patients might be at risk because of your health, behaviour
or professional performance or that of a colleague, or because of any aspect of
the clinical environment, you must take prompt and appropriate action.
In rare circumstances, the trust between you and a patient may break down, and you
may find it necessary to end the professional relationship. You should not stop
providing a service to a patient solely because of a complaint the patient has made
about you or your team.
Before you end a professional relationship with a patient, you must be satisfied
that your decision is fair and you must be able to justify your decision. You should
write to the patient to tell them your decision and your reasons for it. You should
take steps to ensure that arrangements are made promptly for the continuing care
of the patient.
You must have appropriate insurance or indemnity in place to make sure your patients
can claim any compensation to which they may be entitled.
You should ensure that you keep to the terms and conditions of your insurance or
indemnity and contact the provider as soon as possible when a claim is made. A delay
in contacting the provider could disadvantage patients and may affect the level
of help you receive from the provider.
