Teamwork During Busy Sessions

Teamwork During Busy Sessions maps to I 2.4. For dental nurses this focuses on clear roles, timely prompts and effective communication when workload is high.

Team working is a safety system: know your role, respect others' scope of practice, communicate clearly and support colleagues who raise concerns.

These skills matter in routine moments: a patient who looks unsure, a receptionist asking for direction, a dentist working quickly, a trainee needing feedback, a digital message, a handover, or a colleague unsure about raising an issue. Interpersonal skill is responding with care, clarity and professional judgement.

Practical markers

• Notice: what the patient, colleague, situation or system is signaling.
• Choose: the right communication method, team route or escalation step for 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: record actions, give feedback, use supervision or raise a concern if required.

Useful phrasing can be direct and professional: "Can we pause and check whose role this is, so the patient gets the right support?" It gives the team a clear reason to pause, clarify or escalate.

SPF behaviour links

How team members and effective team working contribute to safe, effective, high-quality care and culturally diverse teams helps dental nurses protect patient dignity, team trust and safe care.