Freedom of Information Act

GUIDE TO THE INFORMATION PUBLISHED BY THE DENTAL PRACTICE

This is a guide to the information published by each of the NHS dentists at The Dental Practice.  This guide is the dentists’ Publication Scheme as required by the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

The dentists are:  Mr Charles Major

Introduction

This Publication Scheme is a complete guide to the information routinely made available to the public by the dentists at The Dental Practice.  It is not a complete list of publications since this will change as other things are produced, but it is a description of the classes of information that we provide.  A full list of publications is available on our practice website at www.thedentalpractice.org.uk or from Mr Charles Major who is responsible for our Scheme.

This guide will be reviewed at regular intervals and we will monitor its effectiveness.

How much do they cost?

All publications are free unless otherwise stated.

How are they published?

All of the information is downloadable from the practice website at www.thedentalpractice.org.uk. They are also available in hard copy from:

Your right to information

As well as our published information, present and former patients of the practice have the right to access the personal information that we hold about them in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998. Details of how to do this is contained in the Practice Data Protection Policy which is available from Charles Major.

Feedback

We have produced this guide in order to comply with the Freedom of Information Act 2000.  The purpose of the Act is to encourage organizations working for the public to be more open about the information they have.  We welcome your views on additional classes of information which might be included and on the publications themselves. If you have any comments or suggestions about the scheme, please send them in writing to   Mr Charles Major at The Dental Practice, St Paul's Place, 19E Hills Road, Cambridge, CB2 1NW.
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Classes of information

We hold various types of information which we review, retain or dispose of according to NHS rules. Our information is classed into seven categories:

1. Who we are
2. Our services
3. Financial information
4. Information for patients and the public
5. Complaints
6. Our policies and procedures
7. This guide.

Class 1: Who we are

Class 2: Our services

Information about our services is contained in the practice’s patient information leaflet which is available at Reception.  The information includes:

• Opening times
• Arrangements for emergency care
• Details of access to the premises for people with disabilities
• The languages we speak and the availability of interpreters
• Whether we have a dental hygienist or orthodontic treatment is available
• Whether we provide intravenous sedation for anxious patients
• Information about the care and treatment provided by the practice

 ‘We offer NHS care to children but adult patients are treated privately’

Class 3: Financial information

We have information about:

• The cost of NHS treatment
• Entitlement to exemption and remission from NHS dental charges
• Our private charges

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

Class 4: Information for patients and the public

We make available information leaflets about:

• Types of dental treatment
• Healthy diet
• Healthy teeth
• Reducing anxiety about dental care
• Other health information
• NHS information leaflets.

Copies of leaflets are available from Reception.
 
Class 5: Complaints

We have a practice complaints procedure, a copy of which is available from Mr Charles Major.

Class 6: Practice policies

We have policies and procedures which ensure that the practice operates in a safe and efficient manner.  These include:

• Data protection
• Data security
• Confidentiality
• Health and Safety
• Radiation protection
• Infection control
• Payments policy
• Equal opportunities.

Copies of the policies are available from Reception.

Class 7: This guide

This guide will be reviewed regularly and we will also keep the list of publications up to date.     

From January 2005 we will be required by the Freedom of Information Act to respond to requests from the public to access recorded information that we hold. There are some exemptions to this right and it does not change the rights of our patients to have all of their personal information kept strictly confidential and available to them on request.

Further information

Further information on the Freedom of Information Act is available from the following websites:

http://www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk/

http://www.dca.gov.uk/

http://www.foi-uk.org/

http://www.foi.nhs.uk/practice/