A public consultation has been launched to “refine and modernise” the Oral Health National Occupational Standards (NOS) for dental nursing.

Skills for Health, the Sector Skills Council responsible for developing and reviewing the Oral Health NOS, launched the consultation to support reviewing the standards.

A UK-wide steering group and subject experts have been working together to align the content of the NOS to the ‘Safe Practitioner Framework’.

NOS describe the knowledge, skills and understanding an individual needs to be competent in their role.

Caroline Taylor, associate postgraduate dental dean at NHS Education for Scotland and chair of the steering group responsible for undertaking the review, said, “The NOS Strategy 2022 aims to refine and modernise the NOS and ensure its continued relevance and effectiveness in creating a skilled workforce, for now and the future.

“The GDC has published the new ‘Safe Practitioner Framework’ which details behaviours and outcomes for dental professional education, and the clinical knowledge and skills specific to the scope of practice of each professional group.

“Therefore, to ensure that the Oral Health (dental nursing) NOS are fit for purpose for the future dental workforce and are reflective GDC Safe Practitioner Framework by August 2025, all of the dental nursing standards have been reviewed and updated for consultation.”

The consultation represents the final stage of the review, allowing stakeholders to input into the final version of the NOS before publication in 2025.

Maeve O’Connell, head of the charity’s Oral Health NOS project team, said, “What it means for an individual to be deemed competent and able to fulfil their duties to an agreed standard is something that changes over time.

“The underlying aim of this review, therefore, is to help bring forward the skills development required to maintain service standards and ensure alignment with regulatory standards in the dental sector.

“Against this background, the consultation gives scope for any necessary fine tuning to ensure that we have a workable set of NOS that can be used across the UK for many years to come.”

The public consultation on Oral Health NOS for dental nursing closes on December 23, 2024.

For more information visit https://survey.alchemer.com/s3/8088045/Oral-Health-Dental-Nursing-National-Occupational-Standard-Consultation

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