Classes of Information

All information at the Castle House 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 (for example if publishing information would be contrary to the protection of commercial interests, or the protection of personal information under the Data Protection Act 1998).

The information on this Scheme is grouped into seven broad categories, known as Classes. The information available in each class is detailed below.

1. Who we are

Our practice leaflet is available from reception at Castle House Dental Practice, and includes the following information:

• How our practice fits in to the local NHS structure
• Details of all the dentists, dental therapists and dental hygienists, including the full name, and date of first registration with the General Dental Council, specialist status and whether they are full or part time.

2. Our Services

Information about our services is detailed in our Patient Information Leaflet which is available from reception. Information includes: 

• Opening times 
• Arrangements for out of hours emergency care 
• Information about the care and treatment provided by the practice such as whether we have a dental hygienist or orthodontic treatment 
• The availability of NHS and private care

3. Financial and funding information

We have information about: 

• The cost of Private and NHS treatment (detailed on our Fee Guide) 
• Entitlement to exemption and remission from NHS dental charges

Both of these documents are available from reception.

Our income from the NHS is derived primarily from individual items of treatment and 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.

4. Regular publications and information for the public

Patient information leaflets are available on the following subjects and are free of charge:

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

5. Complaints

We have a practice complaints procedure, a copy of which can be requested free of charge from reception.

6. Our policies and procedures

The following written procedures and policies are in use in the practice:

• Quality Policy
• Health and Safety Policy
• Data Protection Policy
• Equal Opportunities and Harrassment Policy
• Cancelling and Failing Appointments
• Paying for Treatment
• Ionising Radiation Guidelines
• Appointments - broken and delayed
• Patient Confidentiality
• Cross Infection Control
• Control of Substances Hazardous to Health

Hard (paper) copies are available from reception upon request and are free of charge.

7. This Publication Scheme

This document contains: 

• The criteria on which information management policies are made (see ‘Your rights to information’ above) 
• A referral point for all enquiries regarding information management generally in the practice (see ‘Feedback’ above) 
• An outline of the way that costs for information are calculated. In some cases this will involve costs for copying, printing, stamped addressed envelopes and the administrative costs involved in (see ‘Cost of Information’ below)

This document will be reviewed regularly as part of our internal audit programme to check it is up-to-date. New and updated versions of this guide will be published when necessary.

This Publication Scheme document is part of our Practice Management System, and as such is subject to document control measures.