CODE OF CONDUCT

Last Updated: 13 February 2002

Qualified Specialist

All specialists working for Dental-Consults are professionally registered, and hold the appropriate current practicing certificates. This means that all consulting staff are bound to follow the strict ethical guidelines as prescribed by their particular registering body. Prior to appointing a specialist, we seek advice from independent referees nominated by the applicant to ensure that their peers hold them in good standing. The Dental-Consults Clinical Advisory Board independently assesses each specialist before they are finally accepted as a Dental-Consults specialist. Dental-Consults undertakes regular clinical audits designed to ensure that even after passing our rigorous assessment process, the specialist maintains a very high level of ethical and clinical practice.

Patient Confidentiality

Patient confidentiality is paramount and no clinical information or identifying data is passed onto a third party. To ensure that data is stored and transferred safely and securely, hardware and technical solutions have been implemented that meet or exceed international standards.

Dental-Consults records all medical transactions in the form of client owned and controlled, electronic health records. These records are stored and read from central computer servers endowed with the highest standards of physical and electronic data security. Medical information is not sent by email nor stored on peripheral computers. The patient or client has exclusive control over access to information contained in their medical record.

These security provisions far exceed those possible with conventional paper based records or office based electronic health records. Dental-Consults complies with the UK Data Protection Act 1998 and the General Dental Council's Maintaining Standards. We abide by the provisions of other relevant international privacy legislation.

A secure payment gateway provider, WorldPay, processes credit card payments. Dental-Consults does not store credit card details.

Dental-Consults complies with the standards of recognized accreditation organizations such as "Health on the Net".

We subscribe to the HONcode principles. Verify here.

Quality Assurance

Dental-Consults specialists follow current "best practice" guidelines. These are based on the highest ethical standards of medical practice and have been adapted and developed where necessary for e-health by the the Dental-Consults Clinical Advisory Board. In addition Dental-Consults and its specialists follow the guidelines promulgated by Professional Bodies of which they are members. The fundamental principles on which all guidelines are based are for specialists to promote the health and well being of patients and to practice the science and art of healthcare to the best of their ability and within the limits of their expertise.

Complaints Mechanism

If you feel dissatisfied following your consultation with Dental-Consults please contact us.

Any complaints will be replied to within seven days. If a dispute is not settled to the satisfaction of both parties, the matter will be referred to an independent medical arbitrator.

Medical Ethics

Dental-Consults guarantees that you are dealing with a qualified Consultant and ensure that your communication and medical records remain confidential. Dental-Consults brings to online consultations the same medical ethics used in conventional practice. Specialists consider the interests and well being of their patients as their prime responsibility, exercise the highest ethical standards in all their dealings and activities, commit to an environment of continual improvement and are sensitive and responsive to the needs and values of the communities and countries in which they work.