When Teamwork Breaks Down

When Teamwork Breaks Down is part of meeting I 2.4. For dental nurses this focuses on using debriefs, records, meetings and escalation to restore safe working.

Team working is a professional safety system: know roles, respect scope, communicate clearly and protect colleagues who raise concerns.

These skills appear in everyday moments: a patient who seems unsure, 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 means responding 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 phrase is calm and professional and 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.