Record Keeping and Ethics (SW13-03-21-1)

Dick Birkin was originally a general dental practitioner in the North West and was a manager with the Dental Reference Service (NHSBSA Dental Services) for 12 years. Latterly he worked closely with Primary Care Trusts in analysing data (including vital signs and exception reports) to identify outliers. He helped design the DRS record card audit and Clinical Adviser reports. He has given evidence at over a hundred disciplinary hearings including many at the GDC. He has acted as an expert witness for both prosecution and defence at the GDC. He has been chair of his ‘Local Research and Ethics Committee’ and currently sits on the ethics committee for a group of hospitals in the West Midlands.

He is Head of Regional Services at the British Dental Association. He has a wealth of experience in legislation and NHS monitoring and lectures widely (BDA Conference 2004, 2010, 2011, 2012, NADA conference {three occasions}, BDA sections, Section 63 Deanery courses. He presents on Law and Ethics, Quality and Monitoring, NICE recall guidelines, Record Keeping, Complaints, Fitness to Practice and on the Care Quality Commission. He tries to use humour and interaction to enliven potentially dry subjects.

Recommended to all

To introduce dental team members to recent regulatory and best practice change
To examine changes planned by the GDC in FtP, CPD and revalidation
To explore ethical issues in dentistry especially relating to GDC guidance
To emphasise the importance of good record keeping for patient care and medico-legally 
To explain NICE guidelines, how you adhere to them and how PCTs use this to achieve more access. To make the dental team aware of how PCTs and government agencies currently monitor their quality and performance
To discuss piloting of the new contract
To discuss CQC inspections and review some of their recent reports

To improve knowledge of new legislation 
To emphasise the ethical nature of being a professional
To improve knowledge of the GDC and its aims
To influence accurate claiming and management practice
To improve record keeping
To improve the knowledge and understanding of NICE recall guidelines
To explain what a new GDS contract may look like
To encourage self monitoring of vital signs and other practice based data
To encourage audit of record keeping and claiming