Concerns About Your Own Health or Fitness to Practise

Raising concerns about your own health or fitness to practise can feel difficult. Dental nurses may worry about letting the team down, losing shifts, or being judged. Seeking support early when health, stress, fatigue, medication, injury, substance use, mental health or personal circumstances may affect safe practice is a professional responsibility.

GDC guidance requires dental professionals to address risks arising from their health, conduct or performance. This can include speaking to a manager, employer, practice principal, GP, occupational health service, professional adviser or indemnity provider, and where necessary changing, adapting or limiting clinical duties.

Act early if you notice

• You are too unwell, fatigued or distressed to work safely.
• A physical injury limits safe manual handling, chairside assistance or decontamination.
• Medication, alcohol, drugs or withdrawal symptoms may affect judgement or coordination.
• An existing condition has relapsed or support at work has changed.
• You are making repeated mistakes or cannot concentrate safely.
• You need reasonable adjustments, altered duties or time away from clinical work.

The aim is not to punish ill health but to protect patients while supporting the professional. Many issues can be managed with adjustments, supervision, treatment, temporary changes or planned return-to-work arrangements.

When the GDC may need to know

Seeking support for your own health or performance is not weakness. It is part of safe, accountable dental nursing.