Glodwick Dental Centre – Kathy Flanagan, Practice Manager
“Healthy Living Dentistry really helped our practice focus of thinking about our patients’ general health and not just their teeth and gums. The displays made for the health campaigns put together by our team were positive messages for patients, and sparked conversations with them. Our staff felt empowered to give health messages to patients and signpost them to the appropriate services. We are striving to complete level 2 Healthy Living Dentistry so we can continue to offer quality health advice to our dental patients.”
Bolton Practice – Caroline, Practice Manager
“As a Healthy Living Dentistry lead for my practice, I feel that undertaking the programme has had an excellent impact on all the staff and our practice. Our Healthy Living Dentistry displays have covered a range of health-related issues and I feel have helped to improve the quality of health and awareness in our local population. We were able to offer guidance, whether leaflets or phone numbers, within our displays to local authorities, charities and partners related to the promotions that maybe the community and staff were unaware of.
“Staff awareness and confidence to interact and promote other health issues apart from dentistry in their working day was gained. The promotions also were an excellent opportunity for staff as a team to get involved with ideas for displays and promotions, so everyone felt involved. Great team building.
“The Healthy Living Dentistry programme has improved knowledge and helped to gain more awareness across a broad age range of patients/parents/guardians and staff members. This can only have a positive impact within our practice, gaining commitment of staff to promote health issues, and we look forward to continuing our Healthy Living Dentistry programme in the future.”
Bolton Practice – Sadiya Hussain, Healthy Living Dentistry Champion and Head Nurse
“Being a health champion within the practice has helped me to gain a lot more knowledge in Healthy Living Dentistry. I feel my leadership skills helped me to guide and bring out the confidence and qualities of different members of the team with regards to the Healthy Living Dentistry programme.
“I enjoyed interacting with the patients, parents and visitors to promote the campaigns and direct them to the services available within the local community and wider areas.
“Healthy Living Dentistry has increased my understanding of the range of healthy living lifestyle choices we should endeavour to make. The team and I gained extra skills outside the field of dentistry. We are excited to continue with our Healthy Living Dentistry programme and to help promote change in people’s lives.”
Ivy Dental Practice, Stockport – Claire Seaton, Dental Care Professional
“I feel I have learnt so much useful and relevant information while taking part in the Healthy Living Dentistry award. I have found my knowledge base has been widened and I am more confident in giving brief advice to patients. The Primary Care Facilitators have been extremely helpful in guiding us though the award and in sharing their knowledge.
“The Dementia Friends training has been extremely useful for me and the whole team. The changes made within the practice to assist our patients with dementia have been highly beneficial for everyone and not just patients with dementia. The changes made to our two-week pathway monitoring have been invaluable for the dentist and patients who have to go through this process.
“As a practice, we will continue to complete campaigns so we can get the information out to our patients and continue with being as up to date as possible with current information. I have really enjoyed completing this award and delighted with everything we have achieved as a practice.”
Ivy Dental Practice, Stockport – Rachel Newsome, Practice Manager
“Having completed the Dementia Friendly Dentistry, Healthy Living Dentistry and Oral Cancer Excellence awards within our practice, we are all better prepared if the need arises for us to deal with a situation. We are all able to support each other which helps with identifying and acting speedily in such a case.”
Ivy Dental Practice, Stockport – Heather Lightfoot, Dental Nurse
“After completing the Healthy Living Dentistry, Dementia Friendly Dentistry and Oral Cancer Excellence topics, I feel I have become more confident and now have the ability to advise and help our patients who need brief guidance. We now have the tools to be more proactive with gaining new skills, which has enabled the whole Ivy team to work better together and move forward.
Ivy Dental Practice, Stockport – Adele Gow, Dental Nurse
“The team training on being a dementia friendly practice was really interesting and helped me to understand the condition a lot more. This training will make us as a team more mindful about how to treat patients with dementia.”
Ivy Dental Practice, Stockport – Dr Mahfuza Mannan, Associate Dentist
“I have found the Oral Cancer Excellence two-week referral pathway training particularly useful. This has helped our dental team better manage and monitor this very important service which aims to allow patients with suspected cancerous lesions to be seen within two weeks.
“We have made some important improvements to the practice’s protocol for this particular pathway. Some of the changes we have implemented include designating staff to check patients have received referral appointments and also continuing to check patients have attended their appointments.
“I found the training has also helped me to improve my technique and gain confidence in how best to talk to patients when the need for an urgent referral occurs. This can often be a delicate and sensitive subject to discuss with patients and I feel more confident delivering the information.”
Ivy Dental Practice, Stockport – Dr Malcolm Newsome, Principal Dentist
“I have found the Healthy Living Dentistry and Dementia Friendly Dentistry invaluable for our practice moving forward as there is an increasing need to be aware of people as a whole and their differing needs. Some simple changes have already made such a difference to our patients.
“The Oral Cancer Excellence has also been vital to maintain my knowledge and current referral pathways.”
