In the run up to the election the ‘Society’ set out there ambition and hopes for dental nursing and particularly in relation to the workforce challenges, ways of working and working conditions. Dental nurses have so much more to offer, as we alluded to in the work we did and presented.
Many of you will know that we were strong on the stereotypical and often unwelcome perceptions of dental nurses and dental nursing and we hope that the so called ‘Skill-Mix’ plays out as it was intended to many years ago – inclusive of the whole dental team. Our talks continue with the General Dental Council and we hope that all of the talks come together with a common sense approach, whereby everyone is saying the same thing.
Of course this is also a stark reminder that dental nurses frequently give very similar responses to surveys and questionnaires of the reasons that they consider leaving the profession. We know that the top 6 answers rarely change, although the order of the top 3 reasons has occasionally shifted.
- Not being valued or appreciated.
- Not remunerated according to skill sets or experience.
- Not being respected within the profession or by allied health professionals.
- Not respected by the general public.
- Workload demand and lack of time to complete tasks.
- Lack of opportunity and support to progress within dental nursing.
- Lack of autonomy and use of additional skills.
- Burden and cost of General Dental Council requirements to be and remain a dental professional.
- Lack of flexible working opportunities.
Our Executive Director – Fiona Ellwood said ‘The Society look forward to discussions with the Secretary of State for Health & Social Care, Wes Streeting, NHSE, the GDC and key stakeholders in developing a way forward, without the bureaucracy and red tape’.
