22,000 Nottingham dental patients recalled due to risk of infection by blood borne viruses

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The largest patient recall in NHS history;

More than 22,000 patients who may have been treated by a dentist in the Nottingham area will be urged to come forward by NHS England, because of the risk they may have been infected with a blood borne virus.

The recall is believed to be the biggest ever in UK medical history.

Patients will need to be tested for a range of viruses including HIV, Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C, according to a report in the Daily Mirror.

A press conference is due to be held in Mansfield later this morning where more details will be given about the recall.
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The latest on Sky is that it seems to be procedural and low risk

It is understood that experts want to carry out the tests due to a possible risk of infection after poor procedures were reported over several decades.

It is being described by health chiefs as a "significant patient recall".

NHS England clarified that the patients would be tested for multiple diseases, expected to include Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C.

Sky Reporter Joanna Simpson said: "We suspect now that it may be more procedural, so it may be some procedures weren't followed correctly.

"Obviously when we all go to the dentist we know that there are certain things like you can only use certain items once or they have to be sterilised in a certain way, and it may be something to do with that.

"It looks like this will still be the largest recall of patients that has ever happened."

The risk of infection is thought to be low, but NHS England said patients must be tested.
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Source

Now, despite the alarmist nature of the headline and the stated low risk, it is a little unsettling knowing either myself or the missus could be on that list. They havent released the dentists name or practice as yet but I assume they will do at the 11am press conference in a couple of mins.

Sorry for the slight link and run, I will post back after the press conference :eek:
 
Its odd because they have said the Dentist isn't infected, but 22,000 patients over a 32 year period could have been exposed. This is where the link to procedural shortcomings is I imagine, either lack of sterilisation or "single use" equipment being re-used amongst patients. Either way its a pretty poor do.
 
scorza said:
Didn't they rule out HIV as the blood borne virus? Wonder why they aren't telling us what it is?
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No, they ruled out the dentist had a blood borne virus not the patients. There are allegedly 160 of the 22000 patients who may have been placed at serious risk due to following patients who were infected. The chances of cross infection though are stupidly low. It's an incident for sure but maybe not necessarily as dangerous as the media will spin it ...
 
Yeah this helps my irrational fear of dentists :D.

Well I'm glad to see its out in the open rather than covered up. Some potentially large compensation claims to come.
 
He's been named as a dentist From Daybrook in Gedling (i'll not name him but if you are interested Sky did so its likely on the Sky site) which is less than a mile away from where we live. Filmed secretly not washing hands and not sterilising equipment between patients. NHS has singled out 106 patients at most risk but will be testing all 22,000. My dentist is private in West Bridgford and Sarah's is in the city so no drama here but that type of irresponsibility is unforgivable really.
 
Great, I'm from notts and have recently had a root canal.

Edit:Just noticed the post above, luckily I'm the other side of notts, at least 10 miles.
 
On a related issue I was recently in hospital for a minor operation and had to remind a consultant to adhere to hygiene standards which I thought were the norm these days as he wanted to probe my operation site after doing the same on a fellow patient without cleaning his hands beforehand. He was not a happy bunny but I have had a hospital acquired infection on two occasions and was not looking to experience it again.

I noted during the two days I was in hospital that it was the doctors that had problems using the hand wash found on every bed in the ward I was in.
 
LOAM said:
He's been named as a dentist From Daybrook in Gedling (i'll not name him but if you are interested Sky did so its likely on the Sky site) which is less than a mile away from where we live. Filmed secretly not washing hands and not sterilising equipment between patients. NHS has singled out 106 patients at most risk but will be testing all 22,000. My dentist is private in West Bridgford and Sarah's is in the city so no drama here but that type of irresponsibility is unforgivable really.
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Sounds like a bloody bad dentist, i'd want the police involved for endangering the public in such a way
 
He was suspended on 21st August during a hearing at the General Dentist Council. Seems to have taken a long time to get to this point though.
 
LOAM said:
He's been named as a dentist From Daybrook in Gedling (i'll not name him but if you are interested Sky did so its likely on the Sky site) which is less than a mile away from where we live. Filmed secretly not washing hands and not sterilising equipment between patients. NHS has singled out 106 patients at most risk but will be testing all 22,000. My dentist is private in West Bridgford and Sarah's is in the city so no drama here but that type of irresponsibility is unforgivable really.
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Jeez, that's horrific - there's always loads of blood whenever I see the hygienist, very grim :( . Hope everyone's OK.
 
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