Scottish dental practices taking on trainee nurses to receive free PPE
Dental practices that take on trainee dental nurses are set to receive free enhanced PPE packages as part of an initiative to boost numbers.
Under new plans, which have been sanctioned by NHS National Services Scotland, free PPE bundles will be available for clinics that employ trainee dental nurses. After suspending services temporarily during the pandemic, dental nurse training providers are hoping to reinstate training programmes and assessments this month (August).
In a letter to practices, new guidelines were outlined, confirming that enhanced PPE packages will be available for practices that recruit trainee dental nurses. The additional PPE supplies will enable teams and owners that want to accept trainee nurses to access the PPE required without worrying about additional costs.
The enhanced allocations will be available as soon as training resumes. Paul Cushley, dental director at NHS National Services Scotland, stressed that the move was necessary to ensure a secure future for dental nursing.
News of the availability of extra PPE supplies for trainee nurses was welcomed by the British Dental Association (BDA), with representatives stating that it will help NHS practices to restart dental nursing training schemes. Statistics suggest that the number of dental nurses leaving the profession has increased during the pandemic and adverts for positions have become more commonplace.
Providing support for practices offering places for trainee nurses along with a pay rise could help to encourage more people to go into dental nursing. Research conducted by Reed suggests that salaries have increased by 72% since 2020.
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