Welcome

This course is for dental nurses who need targeted CPD for the GDC Safe Practitioner Framework Interpersonal Skills outcome I 1.5: Communicate effectively by spoken, written and electronic means with colleagues from dental and other healthcare professions in relation to the direct care of individual patients, oral health promotion, and raising concerns when problems arise, including where patients cause distress to staff.

SPF fit: This course supports the GDC Safe Practitioner Framework domain Interpersonal Skills, subdomain Effective Communication. It focuses on outcome I 1.5 and maps to behaviours I(B)1: Communicate with care, compassion, empathy and respect in all professional interactions with patients, their representatives, the public and colleagues; I(B)3: Demonstrate effective team working; I(B)5: Take a patient-centred approach to working with the dental and wider healthcare team.

The Interpersonal Skills domain expects dental nurses to communicate with emotional awareness, care, compassion, empathy and respect, and to contribute to effective team working and the wellbeing of others.

Why This Course Matters

• It is targeted: the course focuses on one SPF Interpersonal Skills learning outcome rather than a broad, generic communication topic.
• It is dental-nurse specific: examples centre on chairside care, reception cover, handover, recordkeeping, patient questions, interpreter needs, feedback, scope and team working.
• It keeps scope clear: dental nurses are shown how to observe, support, explain within their role, record, question, hand over and escalate without making decisions beyond their competence.
• It supports professionalism: the course treats I 1.5 as practical guidance for safe communication, maintaining patient dignity and effective teamwork.

A Simple Learner Spine

• Communicate clearly with dental and wider healthcare colleagues.
• Use handover, records and referrals to support direct patient care.
• Support consistent oral-health promotion messages across the team.
• Raise concerns respectfully when problems arise.
• Recognise when patient behaviour causes distress and arrange appropriate team support.