Raising Concerns and Protection

Raising Concerns and Protection relates to I 2.5. For dental nurses, this links team working with the professional duty to raise patient-safety concerns.

Team working is a safety system: knowing roles, respecting scope, communicating clearly and protecting colleagues who raise concerns.

In everyday practice this appears in simple moments: a patient who seems unsure, a receptionist asking for guidance, a dentist working quickly, a trainee needing feedback, a digital message, a handover, or a colleague worried about speaking up. 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 phrasing is calm and professional while giving the team a clear reason to pause, clarify or escalate.

SPF behaviour links

Team working guidance provided by the GDC and other relevant bodies helps dental nurses protect patient dignity, team trust and safe care.