Post by letsconnect on Jun 6, 2005 21:58:51 GMT -5
The new General Dental Council's (UK) standards guidance, "Standards For Dental Professionals", has came into effect on 1 June and replaces "Maintaining Standards".
The six principles which all dental professionals are expected to apply to their daily work are:
* Put patients’ interests first and act to protect them.
* Respect patients’ dignity and choices.
* Protect the confidentiality of patients’ information.
* Co-operate with other members of the dental team and other healthcare colleagues in the interests of patients.
* Maintain professional knowledge and competence.
* Be trustworthy.
These principles are at the heart of Standards for Dental Professionals, new guidance for the dental team, which came into effect on 1 June 2005.
The new guidance (which replaces the GDC guidance document "Maintaining Standards") explains the standards the GDC expects of dental professionals. It applies to the whole dental team, and all dental professionals have a responsibility to work to the principles it sets out.
The guidance is a set of three documents: a core document, plus two supplementary guidance documents, which expand on the principles of consent and confidentiality. Every dentist, dental hygienist and dental therapist on the GDC’s register has been sent the set of new guidance, and all new registrants will be sent it when they join the register.
GDC President, Hew Mathewson said, ‘The new Standards for Dental Professionals guidance aims to help dental professionals maintain the standards expected of them by guiding them on the principles of ethical practice. It is not a book of rules on what to do in particular situations, but a set of ethical principles on which the individual practitioner should base their own decisions. This ability to use your own professional judgement, within an ethical framework, is all part of being a dental professional.’
‘In this respect, Standards for Dental Professionals is quite different to Maintaining Standards which was quite prescriptive on some issues. It is also more clearly and concisely worded to make it more accessible for everyone - patients as well as the dental team.’
The three Standards for Dental Professionals documents can be downloaded now from
www.gdc-uk.org/
(go to "News, Publications and Events" > "Publications" > "Guidance Documents")
The six principles which all dental professionals are expected to apply to their daily work are:
* Put patients’ interests first and act to protect them.
* Respect patients’ dignity and choices.
* Protect the confidentiality of patients’ information.
* Co-operate with other members of the dental team and other healthcare colleagues in the interests of patients.
* Maintain professional knowledge and competence.
* Be trustworthy.
These principles are at the heart of Standards for Dental Professionals, new guidance for the dental team, which came into effect on 1 June 2005.
The new guidance (which replaces the GDC guidance document "Maintaining Standards") explains the standards the GDC expects of dental professionals. It applies to the whole dental team, and all dental professionals have a responsibility to work to the principles it sets out.
The guidance is a set of three documents: a core document, plus two supplementary guidance documents, which expand on the principles of consent and confidentiality. Every dentist, dental hygienist and dental therapist on the GDC’s register has been sent the set of new guidance, and all new registrants will be sent it when they join the register.
GDC President, Hew Mathewson said, ‘The new Standards for Dental Professionals guidance aims to help dental professionals maintain the standards expected of them by guiding them on the principles of ethical practice. It is not a book of rules on what to do in particular situations, but a set of ethical principles on which the individual practitioner should base their own decisions. This ability to use your own professional judgement, within an ethical framework, is all part of being a dental professional.’
‘In this respect, Standards for Dental Professionals is quite different to Maintaining Standards which was quite prescriptive on some issues. It is also more clearly and concisely worded to make it more accessible for everyone - patients as well as the dental team.’
The three Standards for Dental Professionals documents can be downloaded now from
www.gdc-uk.org/
(go to "News, Publications and Events" > "Publications" > "Guidance Documents")