Behind bars

I have worked at HMP Wakefield since 2008. I am employed by a company called Time for teeth, who work on behalf of the NHS. In April 2016, the contract for all of the health care for the prison was taken over by a company called CareUK. They subcontract teeth to provide the dental services. I took a role with Time for teeth, working two days a week for them at Wakefield. They provide dental services for many prisons through out the UK.

The prison provides initial induction training, which covers security considerations, reporting concerns, breakaway training and ACCT (Assessment, Care in Custody, and Teamwork) training. I also attend prison-related CPD at the National Association of Prison Dentistry (NAPDUK) that has an annual conference and regional group meetings. These are useful for all members of the dental team to keep abreast of developments and changes within prison dentistry. Networking is also useful at these events, as it can be quite isolated within a prison.