Would you let someone else close your surgery?

Toots' advice seems sound. However, before approaching it in this way, probably best to log incidences that have led you to ask for this. Especially reoccurring ones, that way it doesn't look like you're trying to rock the boat.

As the practice wishes one of their staff to close down and you feel there may be an issue with the standard of cross infection control, I would be asking for some sort of signed agreement that in the event of any incidents arising from cross infection control, that you will be not held responsible because these duties are being handed over to someone else.


The chances may be slim but if nothing else it will make the dentist think and maybe introduce tighter cross infection control across the practice

The dentist has said that the cycle must be completed thats what he was told when it was installed. We have a data loggger on ours as well which is checked every month.
I prefer the cycle to run its course.

Assessor wrote:

One dental nurse who was stopping the cycle half way through said well they used to do it in a practice where she worked and theyd been on a decontamination course im talking about the statims autoclave the cycle says sterilisation complete now air drying. but she stops it wen air drying so the instruments come out wet. The instruction book was there in the room for everyone to read.

A practice I worked at had a Statim and they used to take the instruments out before they had completely dried?! I didn't realise this was a problem in all honesty... Infact at the surgery I have just started at we have autoclaves with a choice of cycle and dry or just cycle and they don't put it on dry aswell?

Or am I missunderstanding you?

I have worked in other practices over the years and I admit im not perfect in cross infection but I know that an Autoclave is to compleate its cycle before opening. One dental nurse who was stopping the cycle half way through said well they used to do it in a practice where she worked and theyd been on a decontamination course im talking about the statims autoclave the cycle says sterilisation complete now air drying. but she stops it wen air drying so the instruments come out wet. The instruction book was there in the room for everyone to read.

Im old school dental nurse were we never wore gloves or masks and its damned hard to keep saying to my self PPE when were in central. I wear my gloves and mask in the surgrey. I also teach dental nurses so I have to practice what I preach.

To be honest I gave up caring years ago. I used to be so uptight about x-infection being to the correct standard, but it got me nothing but snide/sarcastic jokes about how I had OCD.

So I no longer really say anything. I just ensure my areas are top notch and if someone does something stupid like you mentioned, I do the same and come in early on my own time to sort the problem out.

It makes me sick sometimes. Half the other nurses I encounter have terrible x-infection skills/knowledge. Heck, half aren't even registered/indemnified or do CPD! I don't know why I bother at times.

I understand how you feel hun. I also hate others closing down and opening the surgery but in my practice theres only 2 of us any way.

This happened to me recently, personally im not happy to have some other nurse come in and close my surgery down as i feel i am responsible for my surgery.

I am a freelance dental nurse, i work at this practice on a regular basis and the standards to which some of their own nurses work to is quite frankly disgusting. I was told to leave as the practice were not happy to pay me to finish closing my surgery down if one of their own nurses was available to do so - fair enough but having seen the state they leave their own surgeries in i didnt want that coming back on me.

Example: Said nurse came in took filter out which was very bloody (due to nature of work carried out at practice, specialist not general practice) turned taps on full blast and sprayed the clean surgery with the contents, filled the cold sterilisation box with the water and put the dirty filter into the cold sterilisation box without cleaning the filter to turn round to me and say we have to soak the filters over night.
MY OBJECTION: firstly clean the filter thoroughly, secondly yes soak the filter overnight but preferably not in the sterilisation box that we use to decontaminate impressions.

I did leave but on this occasion was working there the following day so was able to clean the surgery and bleach everything before surgery started.

Very long winded i know but this is something i feel very strongly about and would like to hear other peoples views.