Queensway highlights high standards of infection control in light of recent news story

We were shocked to hear reports this week of an investigation in to a major cross-infection control incident at a dental practice in Nottingham. The incident has resulted in the recall of more than 22,000 patients and is believed to be the biggest in UK medical history.

News stories have reported that footage has emerged which shows a clear breech of infection control standards leaving patients to be deemed at risk of blood-borne viruses. The reports have also claimed that medical equipment at the practice was stored in the staff toilet and that the dentist involved failed to wash his hands and change gloves between patients.

In light of this we wanted to reassure our patients about our clinic standards at Queensway Dental Clinic and how we comply with all cross-infection regulations. Infection control is of prime importance in our practice.  Every clinical member of staff receives training in all aspects of infection control, including the decontamination of equipment, as part of their induction programme and through regular update training.

At Queensway we also have:

• A dedicated decontamination room and a sterilisation team that are responsible for the decontamination of instruments and equipment
• An infection control audit that is carried out every 6 months
• A hand hygiene procedure that is followed before and after each patient visit
• Single use disposable items wherever possible
• Procedures in place to ensure all of our instruments are inspected for cleanliness before and other sterilisation

Evidence that Queensway meets the required standards for patient safety is highlighted through obtaining accreditations including BDA good practice and Denplan Excel. Following their most recent inspection at Queensway the Care Quality Commission (CQC) stated that we successfully met the national standards for quality and safety, with no action necessary.

We hope that this puts our patients minds at rest, however if there are any questions you would like to ask, please do not hesitate to get in touch and we will be more than happy to answer them for you.

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