Giving Feedback for Development

Giving Feedback for Development supports meeting I 2.2. For dental nurses this means offering feedback that is kind, specific and focused on safer patient care.

Team working is a professional safety mechanism: knowing roles, respecting scope, communicating clearly and protecting people who raise concerns.

In practice, this appears in everyday moments: a patient who looks uncertain, a receptionist asking for guidance, a dentist moving quickly, a trainee needing feedback, a digital message, a handover, or a colleague worried about raising a concern. Interpersonal skill is the ability to respond with care, clarity and professional judgement.

Practical markers

• Notice: what the patient, colleague, situation or system is communicating.
• Choose: a communication method, team route or escalation step that fits the context.
• Respect: role boundaries, confidentiality, dignity, cultural needs and emotional impact.
• Check: understanding, responsibility, handover and whether the next person has the information they need.
• Follow up: through records, feedback, supervision, team discussion or concern-raising where needed.

Useful language can be simple: "Can we pause and check whose role this is, so the patient gets the right support?" The wording is calm and professional while giving the team a clear reason to pause, clarify or escalate.

SPF behaviour links

Professional responsibilities in appraisal, colleague development and effective feedback help dental nurses protect patient dignity, team trust and safe care.