Fear, Trust and Previous Poor Experiences

Fear, Trust and Previous Poor Experiences relates to P 3.10. Dental nurses should be able to support patients and colleagues and act within their professional scope when barriers affect care.

Access barriers include cost, transport, disability, language, digital exclusion, fear, trauma, homelessness, caring responsibilities, protected characteristics and previous poor experiences. Equality law and accessible information duties make these matters part of professional practice.

What to notice in practice

• Trauma: respond with dignity and help the patient feel safe enough to continue care.
• Embarrassment: respond with dignity and help the patient feel safe enough to continue care.
• Power imbalance: be clear about what you can do, what must be escalated and who owns the decision.
• Pain: recognise patterns that may need dentist-led review, prevention or safer follow-up.
• Mistrust: respond with dignity and help the patient feel safe enough to continue care.

Patients commonly tell dental nurses when they feel embarrassed, frightened or excluded. Nurses can arrange practical adjustments, support handovers and signpost services, and should record repeated barriers so they can be addressed at practice level.

Good practice is concrete: prepare appropriately, listen to what patients and colleagues actually say, check understanding, hand over information clearly and raise recurring problems through the correct governance routes.

Research and system context

Supporting access means noticing barriers early and helping patients negotiate them without blame.