At Secret Smile we do not contact patients unless the patient makes contact first. We do not send any promotional information/ discount offers/ spam to individuals. THIS WILL NOT CHANGE!!

The main change is that we will be asking patients to complete a 'consent to contact' form next time you're in the clinic. You are under no obligation to agree to being contacted and even if you do agree, we will continue to only contact patients who have contacted us first. No promotional spam will be sent your way!

The clinic is a regulated independent healthcare clinic so is therefore under the surveillance of Healthcare Improvement Scotland. This ensures we have policies and procedures in place that ensure your data is kept confidential and handled in a protective manner.

The clinic director is registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council which is another safety net. This means the clinic adheres to the Nursing and Midwifery Council's Code of Conduct at all times which includes confidentiality and data protection policies.

The clinic is also registered with the Information Commissions Office (ICO) which is another safety net to ensure your records are safe and handled ethically and legally.

Every Healthcare Professional must be open and honest with patients when something that goes wrong with their treatment or care causes, or has the potential to cause, harm or distress. This means that the healthcare professionals must:  

1. Tell the patient (or, where appropriate, the patient’s advocate, carer or family) when something goes wrong. 

2. Apologise to the patient (or, where appropriate, the patients advocate, carer or family). 

3. Offer an appropriate remedy or support to put matters right if possible).  

4. Explain fully to the patient (or where appropriate, the patient’s advocate, carer or family) The short and long term effects of what has happened.

Healthcare professionals must also be open and honest with their colleagues, employers and relevant organisations, and take part in reviews and investigations when requested, raising concerns where appropriate. They must support and encourage each other to be open and honest, and not stop someone from raising a concern.

This policy applies to all directly and indirectly employed staff within Secret Smile Aesthetics.  

This policy is recommended to independent contractors as good practice. Secret Smile Aesthetics encourages all groups of independent contractors to adopt the policy of duty of candour with patients following adverse events, particularly when patients are harmed. 

Secret Smile Aesthetics is committed to fulfil its obligation around ‘Duty of Candour’ by communicating with patients, their relatives and carers about any failure in care or treatment, whether they be the results via a Patient Safety Incident (PSI) Complaint Claim. 

The extent to which information is acted, will be determined by the severity of the event. Further information on the grading of harm is contained in the table in Appendix 1.  

The purpose of this policy is to provide a best practice framework, based on the guidance of the Scottish Government, to create an environment where patients, their representatives and staff feel supported, and have the confidence to act appropriately and for ensuring that all communications with relevant people are open, honest and occur as soon as possible after an event.

1. To notify the person affected (or, where appropriate, the persons advocate, carer or family).

2. To provide an apology.

3. To carry out a review into the circumstances leading to the incident.

4. To offer and arrange a meeting with the person affected (or, where appropriate, the persons advocate, carer or family).

5. To provide the person affected with an account of the incident.

6. To provide information about further steps taken.

7. To make available, or provide information about, support to persons affected by the incident.

8. To prepare and publish an annual report on the duty of candour.

For the purposes of the policy, an “apology” means a statement of sorrow or regret in respect of the unintended or unexpected incident that it is important to understand that by making an apology following an event that triggers the duty of candour procedure you are acknowledging that harm has been caused, a mistake has been made and you may be acknowledging emotions that are felt by the individual and/or their family.

A meaningful apology can help to calm a person who has become angry or upset. An apology is not an admission of liability in a legal sense. Smile Aesthetics as a company is responsible for making the apology. All staff are responsible to make a meaningful apology:

1. Acknowledge what has gone wrong.

2. Clearly describe what has gone wrong to show you understand what has happened and the impact for the person affected.

3. Accept responsibility or the responsibility of your organisation for the harm done.

4. Explain why the harm happened.

5. Show that you are sincerely sorry.

6. Assure the individual and/or their family of the steps you or your organisation have taken, or will be taking to make sure the harm does not happen again (where possible).

7. Make amends and put things right where you can.

To ensure consistency in applying the duty of candour procedure, it is important that unintended or unexpected incidents triggering the duty of candour procedure are monitored, recorded and reported.

Secret Smiles Aesthetics, as an independent healthcare service will notify Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS) when certain events occur.

Secret Smile Aesthetics will compile an annual report containing information as specified by the Act:

1. Information about the number and nature of incidents to which the duty has applied.

2. An assessment of the extent to which the responsible person carried out the elements of the duty.

3. Information about the responsible person’s policies and procedures including information about:

4. Procedures for identifying and reporting incidents.

5. Support available to staff and to persons affected by incidents.

6. Information about any changes to the responsible person’s policies and procedures as a result of incidents to which the duty has applied.

7. Such other information as the responsible person thinks fit.