Practice Support Manual
The Practice Support Manual (PSM) is a web resource freely available to the dental profession in Scotland
About this guidance
Running a modern dental practice is undoubtedly a challenging task, dealing with the pressures of providing the best possible care for patients while coping with the many administrative tasks that are required of dental teams. The Practice Support Manual has been developed to support the organisation, management and running of primary care dental practices. It aims to help dental teams keep up to date with legislation and professional regulations, prepare successfully for practice inspection and carry out best practice. The Practice Support Manual provides advice on the following:
- Communication
- Disability Equality
- Ethical Practice
- Health and Safety (General)
- Health and Safety (Infection Control)
- Medical Emergencies and Life Support
- Quality Improvement Activity
- Radiation Protection
- Record-keeping
- Risk Management
- Sustainability
Additional resources for radiation protection are available to help practices meet the requirements.
Guidance development
The Practice Support Manual is based on current legislation, professional regulations and guidelines and the opinion of experienced practitioners. During the development of the Practice Support Manual, several expert bodies and specialists [e.g. (UK) Information Commissioner, Scottish Information Commissioner, NHS Education for Scotland, Health and Safety Executive, Scottish Disability Equality Forum] were consulted. The Practice Support Manual was piloted within primary care dental practices and all comments received as a result of the pilot were considered carefully, with the guidance amended where appropriate prior to publication.
Review and updating
The Programme Development Team continually monitor and update the advice provided by the Practice Support Manual and each topic is subject to periodic formal review. Although every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in the Practice Support Manual, legislation and professional regulations are subject to change and therefore SDCEP cannot guarantee its correctness and completeness at all times.