The Protecting Vulnerable Groups Scheme (PVG Scheme) went live in Scotland on 28 February 2011. This new membership scheme is intended to replace and improve upon the current disclosure arrangements for people who work with vulnerable groups.

The work of the Primary Care Trust or NHS Trust (familiar in England) is performed by the Health Boards and Dentistry under the NHS and is managed by the Practitioner Services Division (PSD).

The Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO) publicationGuidance on a Model Complaints Handling Procedure is accompanied by a Statement of Complaints Handling Principles

The DBS deals with criminal records checks (now known as DBS checks) and is responsible for maintaining the Barred Lists for both children and vulnerable adults. Inclusion on the barred list precludes an individual from participating in a regulated activity with the relevant group. For the purposes of this scheme dentistry is considered to be a regulated activity and all adult patients are considered to be vulnerable. Thus inclusion on either or both lists would effectively bring an end to a dentist or dental care professionals practice.

Dental professionals are required to make and keep accurate dental records of care provided to patients, whether NHS or private. Dental Protection is frequently contacted by members who want to understand how long records should be retained by the practice.

Stephen Henderson describes a campaign that has fundamentally changed the way in which the GDC’s Investigating Committee operates

The law on “informed” consent has changed following a recent Supreme Court judgment

The report of the Intercollegiate Advisory Committee for Sedation (IACS) in Dentistry was published in April 2015 and replaces the previous document, Conscious Sedation in the Provision of Dental Care (Department of Health 2003)

Resistance to shared decision making often revolves around a perception that dentists have many patients who wish the dentist to make the decision for them. Whatever you think best. The difficulty is that just as Dentists have preferences for their style of decision making, patients also have preferences as to their desired level of involvement.

Some important facts that we think you will find surprising

The key to complaints handling is a flexibility of approach. The complaints handling process should adapt to the needs of a patient and not the other way round. Although there is no single way to handle a complaint, there are some key steps that should always be considered...

In addition to several references in the press to “dirty dentists” this is the month that the case of Dr D’Mello returned to the GDC. More importantly, when the case is reported in the national press it has the potential to suggest that dental surgeries may not be safe or that cross - infection standards have been disregarded. One way to avoid such suspicion is to share your infection control routines with your patients at an early stage when they first come for treatment; adopt an “open house” policy.