Why it matters: The SNEE Training Hub, which has supported GP practices with training, recruitment and retention for eight years, has now expanded to help local dental practices upskill and retain their staff, and recruit where necessary.
The details: Jason Stokes, the new Dental Educator Lead, is also a dental surgeon and the Associate Postgraduate Dean for Early Years Dentistry in the East of England. He has joined the ICB with a mission to make Suffolk and North East Essex a career destination for dental professionals as they near graduation and for those coming in from overseas.
The plans involve the introduction of the Integrated Care Dentist role where post-foundation dentists can develop their clinical or management skills in a range of local sites, with the aim of providing individual career support and tailored development opportunities.
The big picture: In Suffolk and north east Essex, NHS dental provision has relied significantly on overseas workers coming to the UK. The training hub is now offering educational resources to help overseas dentists enrol and integrate officially into the NHS, funded by the training hub and ICB at no cost to the dentist.
The SNEE Training Hub is also supporting 111 local practices which deliver NHS care to expand training provision and develop the skills of their team, including helping colleagues looking to become Level 2 practitioners who can do more complex work such as treating severe gum disease and complex root fillings.
What they're saying: "I've been involved in dental training for over a quarter of a century and, unlike other areas of healthcare, primary care dentistry does not have a clear, structured career progression," said Stokes.
"Trainees who come to the area don't realise that their first year working in the NHS – their 'Foundation Year' - can be the start of a fantastic professional journey. My job is to encourage more trainees to come and give them more opportunities to stay."
He added: "It's really important that when people come to support us that we also support them. When they arrive, overseas dentists have to go through a period of training which could be anything from 100 days to six months or more."
What's next: The training hub is hosting its first conference for the local NHS dental workforce on Wednesday, 19 November at Colchester United Football Stadium to inform them of the help they can provide and to learn what additional support would be useful in the future.
The bottom line: After years of workforce challenges, Suffolk and north east Essex is positioning itself as a place where dental professionals can build long-term careers with structured support and development opportunities.
