Primary and Secondary Care Networks

Primary and Secondary Care Networks is part of meeting P 3.8. For dental nurses, this requires knowing how to support patients, colleagues and safe systems while staying within your scope of practice.

Resource management in care decisions covers appointments, staff time, equipment, referrals and primary and secondary care pathways. The aim is fair, safe and proportionate use of those resources.

What to notice in practice

• General dental practice: identify what the patient or colleague needs next, then hand over or escalate clearly.
• Community dental services: consider the broader factors affecting oral health and access beyond the single appointment.
• Hospital care: identify what the patient or colleague needs next, then hand over or escalate clearly.
• Urgent care: identify what the patient or colleague needs next, then hand over or escalate clearly.
• Specialist pathways: identify what the patient or colleague needs next, then hand over or escalate clearly.

Dental nurses support safe resource use by preparing thoroughly, spotting missing information, improving referral quality, reducing avoidable waste, using appointment time efficiently and escalating recurring bottlenecks that affect patients.

Good practice is practical and visible: prepare, listen to patients and colleagues, check understanding, hand over clearly and raise recurring problems so the service can learn and improve.

Research and system context

Good resource management protects patients by using time, equipment and care networks appropriately.