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Dental Tribune United Kingdom Edition

ing decontamination duties • Organisation of the repro- cessing area into a dirty/clean workflow system with best practice being dirty and clean areas as separate rooms, each with a door and individual air supply and extraction • Provide suitable storage for instruments, which reduces exposure to air and a possible risk of further contamination • Minimise worktops – which means less clutter and less to clean – and replace them with glass, so that patients can see immediately that the surgery is clean To keep abreast of decontami- nation best practice, I suggest you link up with your PCT, that you always read Dental Trib- une and Infection Control Trib- une and that you keep an eye on dentistry websites. Also, check out the decontamina- tion equipment manufacturers for new products, liaise with dentistry colleagues and visit the appropriate trade and as- sociation stands at shows. An action plan for best practice Decontamination best prac- tice cannot simply be a wish list – you need to draw up an action plan for achieving it. At the moment, no timescales have been set for practices to achieve best practice. This makes developing an action plan with targets as to when things will be achieved rath- er tricky. Bear in mind that you will, at some stage, need to show this action plan to a member of your PCT and talk them through it – so it needs to be based on sound thinking, not guess work. Let’s take the example of separating decontamination rooms. There are many den- tal practices that use the same room for patient treatment and decontamination and this meets HTM 01-05 essential re- quirements at this time. The principals or owners of these practices need to decide how they can work towards a sepa- rate and controlled decontam- ination room (or clean/dirty rooms). If it’s merely a ques- tion of utilising an unused room or erecting partitions, the timescale for achieving it could be relatively short and will depend on when the fi- nance is likely to be available. In, for example, a listed building or premises where you are already short of space, the only solutions may be to move or rent/purchase addi- tional premises. Clearly, this will likely be a longer-term aim. For something a little eas- ier to build into your action plan, consider the purchase of washer-disinfector. You will need to investigate what mod- els are available, which will be most suitable, how much it will cost and what the instal- lation requirements area. You will also need to consider how, where and when your staff can be trained to use it and how much this will cost. They may well also need training in the use of instrument rotation sys- tems and working in a desig- nated decontamination room. Although you should check whether your PCT has funds available for the purchase of washer-disinfectors, in Eng- land there was no central funding for meeting HTM 01-05 essential requirements and there is certainly none at this time for moving towards decontamination best prac- tice. By contrast, the Scottish Government has made funds available for decontamina- tion improvements, for the maintenance of decontamina- tion equipment and even pro- vided grants for when a prac- tice needs to relocate. Sample test processes and procedures to evidence the level of compliance Finally, don’t forget to main- tain the daily and weekly checks of equipment and the quarterly checks specified in the Infection Prevention Soci- ety/DH audit tool. DT Author info Amanda Atkin runs Atkinspire Ltd and offers practices support, training and consultancy on information gov- ernance, CQC compliance, National Minimum Standards and HTM 01-05. Her bespoke service supports practices as they embed the required standards within their daily routines ñ to ensure a high quality service and patient safety at all times. Contact amanda@atkin- spire.co.uk www.atkinspire.co.uk Decontamination Rooms AccessoriesHandpiece Sterilisation EschmannDirect is the only stop you need to make when it comes to getting the advice and Little Sister products you need to ensure full compliance. And, with a five year warranty that comes as standard plus, the first two years of service cover included in the price when you buy from EschmannDirect, the benefits of dealing with the UK’s leading decontamination specialist are clear. Hanpiece Care SterilisationWasher Disinfectors EschmannDirect.com the only site you need for all your decontamination equipment needs. Direct Direct.com Direct.com Direct.com Direct.com Direct.com Direct.com Direct.com Direct.com Direct.com Direct.com Direct.com Direct.com Go Direct Direct.com Direct.com Direct.com Direct.com Direct.com Direct.com Direct.com Direct.com Direct.com Direct.comDirect.com Direct.com Direct.com Direct.com Direct.com Direct.com Direct.com To Enjoy Complete Confidence  01903 875787 Follow us: @EschmannDirect 15Infection Control TribuneJune 4-10, 2012United Kingdom Edition 15