The Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA) has issued correspondence confirming it will move to permit a ‘risk-assessment’ approach when it comes to determining the extent to which the HTM 03-01 on air ventilation will apply to ‘newly built dental treatment rooms’.
Read the RQIA’s letter to registered practices.
Over the past year we have engaged extensively on this issue, raising our concerns on behalf of practices regarding the adoption of a blanket approach when it comes to applying air ventilation standards to dental practices. Indeed, until this point, practices had been subject to the same standards as those designed for and being applied in acute care including operating theatres.
We considered that approach to be wholly disproportionate, needlessly costly to practices and at odds with the clear provision within the HTM 03-01 which allows for a lower risk-assessment approach to determine the extent to which these standards should apply to dental practices, if at all.
During the past 12 months we have engaged extensively with RQIA and other parties; we have shared our understanding of the HTM 03-01 and how RQIA can move to discharge its duties by permitting a risk-assessment approach.
This new approach has now been confirmed by RQIA, and their correspondence also outlines the professional input required, including from independent Infection Prevention and Control and engineering experts, as well as by the dental professional in ensuring a robust risk assessment is carried out.
While we welcome this shift in approach by RQIA, it will be key to see how this translates in practical terms for those practices who may be undertaking significant building works to their surgeries.
We will continue to monitor this issue closely to ensure what has been promised actually achieves the proportionality which is explicitly provided for within the preamble of the HTM 03-01 itself.
Advice is available
Additional one-to-one advice is available from our Compliance team for BDA Extra and Expert members who may be planning major practice refurbishment or new building works.
BDA Compliance are currently engaging with IPC /authorised engineering and dental experts to see how the risk assessment process can be applied by practices in as straightforward a way as possible. Each risk assessment will ultimately determine the extent to which the HTM 03-01 should apply, if at all according to each specific project.
Extra and Expert members can contact our Compliance team for further information on [email protected]