Choosing the Right Approach

Choosing the Right Approach supports P 2.1. For dental nurses, this means recognising when to work within scope to protect patients, support colleagues and keep systems safe.

CQC's well-led dental guidance separates leadership, management and governance: leaders shape an open learning culture, while management provides the systems, checks and actions that make care reliable. The NHS Healthcare Leadership Model is useful here because it treats leadership as behaviour anyone can show, not only a job title.

What to notice in practice

• Routine control: ask what the patient or colleague needs next, then hand over or escalate clearly.
• Urgent judgement: ask what the patient or colleague needs next, then hand over or escalate clearly.
• Patient anxiety: respond with dignity and help the patient feel safe enough to continue care.
• Team conflict: make roles, messages and next actions clear enough for colleagues to act safely.
• System drift: ask what the patient or colleague needs next, then hand over or escalate clearly.

Practically, management organises work so it can be done safely; leadership helps people act safely, speak up and keep patients central under pressure.

Good practice is visible and simple: prepare, listen to what patients and colleagues actually say, check understanding, hand over clearly, and report repeated problems so the practice can learn.

Research and system context

Management and leadership are different but connected: safe dental teams need both reliable systems and people who influence safer behaviour.