Marginalised Populations and Protected Characteristics

Marginalised Populations and Protected Characteristics supports meeting P 3.10. For dental nurses this means recognising barriers and taking safe, appropriate actions within your scope to help patients and colleagues access care.

Barriers to access include cost, transport, disability, language, digital exclusion, fear, trauma, homelessness, care responsibilities, protected characteristics and previous poor experiences. Equality law and duties on accessible information make these matters part of professional practice.

What to notice in practice

• Protected characteristics: check whether systems and processes allow fair access to care.
• Homelessness: identify what the person needs next and arrange a clear handover or escalation.
• Migration: consider factors beyond the appointment that affect oral health and access.
• Care homes: make sure information reaches the right service or colleague at the right time.
• Neurodiversity: establish immediate needs and then hand over or escalate as required.

Dental nurses are often the first people patients tell when they feel embarrassed, frightened or excluded. You can arrange practical adjustments, signpost services, hand over concerns and raise repeated barriers as issues for practice improvement.

Good practice is practical and visible: prepare for appointments, listen carefully, check understanding, hand over clearly and report recurring problems so the service can improve. These actions translate the SPF outcome into safer care.

Research and system context

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