Codsall Dental Practice win the coveted Finalist Silver Award in the National Infection Control and Prevention Award.
Staff at Codsall Dental Practice are thrilled to be chosen as one of the best in the country for their Infection Control Procedures by The national competition run by The Dentist Magazine, Dental Nursing, Dental Update Magazine and Aura Infection Control Ltd. Speaking of the award Practice Manager Mary Jane Jones “We were pleased and thrilled to have been chosen for this award it represents to us the cornerstone on which our practice operates.” It has always been a core focus for us, and to have this recognised is a testament to all the hard work the staff do daily as we worked through the covid pandemic and now.
Mary Jane continued, “Infection prevention and control has been the bedrock of what we do at Codsall Dental Practice, and I am not ashamed to say I am a bit obsessive about it. It means that all the areas we focus on are so important to the day-to-day running of the Practice. Including checklists and cleaning tasks, hand hygiene procedures, regular sampling and checking of water quality in surgery. I keep meticulous records of what we do, how we do it, and I am very proud of all my overflow folders where all my documentation is kept.”
The competition process was rigorous, with operating statements submitted for shortlisting followed by documentation and record keeping. One way we stood out was during the Video calls, where we took the judges on a tour of our processes from the patient’s perspective. Illustrating what we did and why we did it to demonstrate to them this wasn’t just a tick box exercise for us; it is ingrained in everything we do.”
The best part is our team. We all work together to make it safe for patients. From Decontamination room deep cleans to Control of Hazardous Substances, we all play our part in ensuring patient safety. We are particularly proud of our sterile instruments process and the air purification systems we have in place to help patients. This is backed up with regular checks on how we process our waste materials and even keeping detailed records of our hazardous waste.
“There is no doubt that Covid 19 has woken everyone up to the importance of infection control and prevention, but it meant changes to operating procedures for us. Still, the staff here took to it quickly as we have all been used to working to such a high standard for a long time – for example, we are not only assessed Care Quality Commission but also a Denplan Excel practice since 2007. Striving towards high standards has been a part of the Practice for a long time.”
Angela Huddart – Principle Dentist – speaking of the award, said, “In the end, its all about us creating a safe environment for patients and staff, and to be recognised for that safe environment at a national level is a real testament to all of our hard work. Jo Rowson – Dental Nurse at the practice “We don’t sit still on this. We don’t wait for our annual audit as a team to communicate ideas; we have to make it safer and, most importantly, do it regularly. Arlene, who leads reception – “The one thing it gives me is peace of mind to know we are doing everything we can to prevent infections and do the best by our patients, many of whom I have come to know well by working here.”
Mary Jane also credits Aura Infection Control as a crucial link in the chain. We use their samplers to check the quality of our water in surgery, for example, and having a third party check our results means we always know what we do daily with cleaning is having a positive impact in all areas.
As second place finalist, the Practice will win several prizes in recognition of their hard work, including; a Certificate and trophy as well as: practical prizes for sampling and surveillance support for dental unit water lines and discounts on a wide range of infection control products and one prize that Mary Jane was keen to win was the access to the “Appline BASIL compliance software “it will be great to see how many of my folders could be reduced by online software.”