Column
GDC dispatches Standards in focus
with Ian Jackson
Ian Jackson, GDC Director for Scotland, outlines a new online resource to help put the Standards for the Dental Team into practice
T
o support the implementation of the new ‘Standards for the Dental Team’, we’ve developed an interactive site with case studies, scenarios and FAQs.
These are designed to help registrants test their knowledge on ‘Standards for the Dental Team’. The new standards were developed
following intensive consultation with patients and the public and took effect on 30 September 20ı3. If a complaint is made about a dental
professional, their behaviour/conduct will be measured against the standards and guidance in this document. It is therefore vital that all registrants are familiar with the nine principles. See the new interactive web pages at
www.gdc-uk.org/Dentalprofessionals/ Standards/cases/Pages/
default.aspx For example, under Principle One - ‘Put
patients’ interests first and act to protect them’ – a scenario has been developed as follows: “You are a dental technician who works in a laboratory. The laboratory is struggling financially and you have been asked by the owner to offer a promotion to all new clients to try and encourage more referrals from local dentists. You decide to offer every new client a case of wine if they refer at least 20 crown cases to the laboratory every month for three months.” It then asks what you should do: ı. Not offer the inducement/incentive? 2. Offer the inducement/incentive? 3. Speak to the GDC? Once you’ve chosen an answer we offer
advice and guidance on why this may, or may not, be the right course of action. However, it is important to remember
that the case studies, scenarios and other learning materials on the Focus on Stand- ards pages are fictional and for illustration purposes only.
Their aim is to put ‘Standards for the
Dental Team’, and its accompanying guid- ance, into context – they don’t replace any GDC guidance. In addition, dental profes- sionals can now access ‘Standards for the Dental Team’ on the go. To help make the principles easier to
access we’ve developed a mobile site dedi- cated to the standards. It displays these standards themselves,
as well as the interactive Focus on Stand- ards content. The mobile site is specifically designed for use on mobile phones or tablets so that dental professionals can access the GDC’s Standards and guidance wherever they are. The mobile site displays the nine
key principles of the standards, which are: ı. Put patients’ interests first 2. Communicate effectively with patients 3. Obtain valid consent
4.Maintain and protect patients’ information 5. Have a clear and effective complaints procedure 6. Work with colleagues in a way that serves the interests of patients 7. Maintain, develop and work within your professional knowledge and skills 8.Raise concerns if patients are at risk
9.Make sure your personal behaviour maintains patients’ confidence in you and the dental profession. The site includes case studies, FAQs and guid- ance to help registrants apply the standards in practice. It also enables
patients to access the standards more easily, so
Scottish Dental magazine 23
they can find out what to expect from their dental professional. In recent user testing undertaken with
GDC registrants, 93 per cent reported they found navigation around the site easy, 97 per cent found that the information on a particular standard was useful and 89 per cent believe they would use it to read up on particular standards or guidance for future reference. We hope both of these new tools will
help registrants become familiar with ‘Standards for the Dental Team’ and enable them to put them in to practice.
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