Infection Control Policy

Infection control is of prime importance in this practice. It is essential to the safety of our patients, our families and us. Every member of staff will receive training in all aspects of infection control including personal protection, decontamination of dental equipment and instruments and the following policy must be adhered to at all times. If any aspect of the policy is unclear, please ask Dr Helen Griffiths. Remember, any of our patients may ask you about the policy, so make sure you understand it.

• All staff must be immunised against hepatitis B and a record of their seroconversion held by the practice owner. Medical advice and counselling will be sought for those who do not seroconvert or cannot be immunised. In this case clinical duties may be restricted.
• The practice provides protective clothing, latex free gloves, eye wear and facemasks that must be worn by all clinical staff during operative procedures. Protective clothing worn in the surgery must not be worn outside the practice premises.
• Before donning gloves, hands must be decontaminated. Any glove that is damaged must be replaced and new gloves must be used for each patient. Hands can be decontaminated between patients by using an appropriate hand sanitiser.
• Before sterilisation, re-usable instruments should be cleaned by washer disinfector or ultrasonic cleaner. After cleaning, inspect instruments for residual debris. Any debris remaining must be removed manually (in accordance with HTM01 05) and reprocessed.
• Instruments that have been cleaned using an ultra sonic bath must be rinsed using RO/distilled water and dried thoroughly before being sterilised. Single use items must be disposed of appropriately and never re-used. Appropriate personal protective equipment must be used at all times
  when handling instruments.
• Sterlised instruments should be stored in covered trays and pouches in accordance with HTM01 05.
  Working areas that have instruments placed on them during procedures will be kept to a minimum, clearly identified and, after each patient, cleaned using appropriate surface cleaner sanitiser.
• Needles must be re-sheathed by the operator only using a re-sheathing device (Ash Jenker) as trained. Needles, scalpel blades, LA cartridges, burs, bands, used appliances and any other sharps must be disposed of in the yellow sharps container, which should be close to point of use and never placed on the floor. The container must be changed when it is no more than two thirds full.
• All clinical waste must be segregated according to the practice healthcare waste policy and placed in the appropriate sacks or bins provided in the surgery. Waste must be removed every day and disposed of correctly. Each sack must be securely fastened using appropriate ties, labelled and stored in the designated area.
• All dental impressions must be rinsed until visibly clean and disinfected using a recommended disinfectant (follow manufacture instructions on use). The impressions must be bagged once disinfected, labelled correctly and sent to the laboratory. All returning technical work must be returned correctly labelled and disinfected.
• In the event of an inoculation injury, the wound should be allowed or encouraged to bleed, wash thoroughly under running water and covered with waterproof dressing. The incident must be recorded in the accident book.
• The incident must also be discussed with Dr Helen Griffiths to assess whether further action is needed. Advice on post-exposure prophylaxis can be obtained from Occupational health . Contact on 01823 253322.
• Any spillages involving blood, saliva or mercury must be reported to Dr Helen Griffiths. A blood spillage kit is available in every surgery.
• Anyone developing a reaction to protective gloves or a chemical must inform Dr Helen Griffiths immediately.
• Infection control audits must be carried out twice a year.

Policy last updated 03 February 2021