Medico-legal issues: a focus on preventable nerve injuries

As dental professionals we are committed to the Hippocratic Oath, which states ‘that we must do no harm’ to our patients. The recent Department of Health reorganisation of dental commissioning (NHS Commissioning Board, 2013) states clearly as a fourth objective: ‘Improving access to NHS dental services will continue as will the drive to improve the cost effectiveness of dental services in order to play our part in the QIPP challenge’. The Quality Innovation in Production and Prevention (QIPP) programme drives quality improvement, emphasising patient safety within the NHS, and was introduced in 2009 (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, 2013). Previously a system was introduced to improve complaint management with the aim to develop responsiveness to patients’ complaints and aim to learn from these issues (The National Health Service (Complaints) Regulations 2004). The structure for dealing with complaints from NHS patients is clear and dental nurses can play an invaluable role in this process and help to prevent complaints escalating into legal proceedings where possible.