As dental professionals and also as a Primary Care Patient, our visions of care quality standards we deliver and those we expect as patients, are increasingly evident. As patients, we can see a much more proactive emphasis on patient education and involvement in decision making about prescribed treatment options. As healthcare professionals, the new emphasises on providing consistently high-quality sustainable services needs a rethink of team roles .
The challenge here is to find ways that practitioners can introduce more non-clinical work to their extensive workload to enhance the patient experience; when they are already working at full stretch. The solution involves the development of new roles and extended duties for dental care professionals. Inclusive teamwork has never been more essential for driving forward the quality of care, without exhausting care providers. Since the introduction of DCP registration, the door is open for qualified, confident and competent DCPs to play an active part in the new care pathways.
Today's presentation considers the specific adaptions that practices can interlude to make sure their team is ready for the challenges to come. In particular, it will consider how practice managers can ensure that the team are well trained in practice policies and procedures and provides the taining and development needed to keep them interested and excited in their work. The use of team meeting to involve the whole team in continual improvement, quality issues and essential aspects of the manager's role in ensuring excellent communication between all team members
The care coordination role is growing in popularity. When an experienced dental nurse has the training and resources to fulfil this role effectively, there are multiple benefits for patients, the team and business. Offering extended duties opportunities to extend the treatment time available in practice on a daily basis
A dental education framework is in place for inclusive teams to provide the patients with the healthcare education and inclusion they are increasingly demanding and that dental regulators require. The challenge is to accommodate change, something which an increasing number of practices are achieving. These trailblazing practices are lighting the way for others to follow.
The Lead dental nurse roles are increasingly recognised as a way to coach and mentor dental nurses so that they can take a full role in meeting quality standards and to provide a practice structure which enables each team member to take pride in their professional status
We can either be passively swept along with the ongoing changes required in dental regulation or proactively use change as the vehicle towards a more fulfilling and prosperous future. If you opt for the proactive route, we can provide you and your team with high-quality dental-specific qualifications and professional development.
In many cases, DCPs with extended duties qualifications are ready willing and able to expand the treatment hours available for patient care. What is needed for this to be a productive way forward is for the management to address three issues. Firstly, the structure and organisation of work to allow expanded duties to add value to the practice, secondly, to alter the mindset of practitioners so that they are prepared to welcome inclusive teamwork patterns, and thirdly, to motivate DCP’s to take on appropriate lead and patient care roles by recognising and rewarding their input.
Full details of the training and development opportunities for developing team roles can be found on our website www.glenys-bridges.co.uk