NHS England publishes new guidelines for dental therapists and hygienists
NHS England has published new guidelines regarding the roles of dental therapists and hygienists.
The guidance, which is entitled, ‘Supporting the use of skill mix in NHS general dental practice,’ is part of a wider plan to update the NHS dental contract and enable practice owners to make full use of the skills of all members of the dental team.
Deputy chief dental officer for England, Jason Wong, said, “As a practice owner, the increased use of skill mix is crucial both in the recruitment of workforce where there are some real shortages and also in the retention of the workforce that we have.” He added, “In our practice we ensure that all dental nurses have the ability to develop their skill set so they can work to the fullest scope of practice as much for creating a rewarding environment for retention of staff than the increased efficiency of created by more team members able to carry out a bigger range of tasks.”
The new NHS dental contract is designed to increase capacity, reduce waiting times, increase payments for dentists who undertake complex work and enable dental therapists and hygienists to take on a wider range of clinical tasks.
The guidance on skill mix outlines changes, including the removal of administrative barriers, which allow therapists and hygienists to open and close courses of treatment via the FP17 form. Dental hygienists and therapists can also take on tasks that match their skill level and expertise in line with General Dental Council (GDC) scope of practice guidelines. Therapists and hygienists will also be able to administer prescription-only medicines in cases where dentists have passed on a written treatment plan for patients or there are written instructions for specific groups of patients.
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