It is the duty of any dental professional to put their patients' interests first and you should always act to protect them over any personal or professional loyalty. A poor standard of infection control in the practice is likely to put patients at risk and, if it can be shown that you have not acted appropriately or not brought the matter to somebody else's attention, then you too could end up in some difficulty. Initially it is best to speak to the dentist or your line manager if you have one and explain your concerns to them. In this respect it is best to be positive, rather than negative, and offer solutions to the problem, rather than being confrontational. If then you are still unhappy, it would be best to contact Dental Protection and ask for our guidance in relation to the specific issue.

Not at all - if there is a conflict of interest, we simply arrange for separate representation for each member. This gives all parties access to their own dento-legal adviser and, where necessary, separate firms of solicitors and separate barristers. In one complex case a few years ago we had 11 members involved, each of whom had entirely separate representation. Each of the members concerned was satisfied that their interests were never compromised at any stage.