Nigel Jones discusses the mental health of the dental profession and how it can be improved with a focus on community and connection.
It is undeniable that the mental health of too many people within the dental profession is poor. The Dental Protection survey of 1,300 dental professionals published earlier this year came out with the shocking statistic that 57% of respondents felt their mental health is worse today than during the COVID-19 pandemic. How can that be?
The theme of this year’s Mental Health Awareness week was ‘community’ and I make no apology for lifting the next paragraph straight from the mentalhealth.org.uk website.
‘Being part of a safe, positive community is vital for our mental health and wellbeing. We thrive when we have strong connections with other people and supportive communities that remind us we are not alone. Communities can also provide a sense of belonging, safety, support in hard times, and give us a sense of purpose.’
In many ways that sums up perfectly what we strive to achieve with the dental practices with which we work at Practice Plan. We don’t always get things right but that’s our intent, and we constantly try to find ways of tackling the sense of isolation that so many within the dental profession clearly feel. Sadly, I’m less confident about some of the other parts of the Venn diagram of communities in which dental professionals will find themselves.
‘Feel good about yourself, feel safe, and feel empathy towards others’
There is a blog on the mentalhealth.org.uk website that says: ‘Importantly, a community should make you feel good about yourself, feel safe, and feel empathy towards others.’ For me there is a danger that in pursuit of efficiency, cost effectiveness and lean processes, it can all become about tasks and activity, so notions of safety and empathy get lost or overlooked.
It will not take a genius to work out that uppermost in my mind as I type the above are the GDC and the NHS in its various guises. Those on the GDC register are certainly a community. Those contracting with a particular ICB or NHS Wales, for example, are also a community. Whatever the objectives and priorities of those organisations, they are surely best achieved if those communities are viewed as safe and healthy for dental professionals.
And for my final thoughts I am indebted to Professor John Gibson of the Canmore Trust, an amazing charitable company focussing on suicide prevention and postvention. John concluded a recent podcast I recorded with him asking for us all to develop a community of kindness. That doesn’t have to rely on regulatory or contract reform; it can simply be each of us grabbing moments to surprise someone with a reminder that however well-hidden it can seem at times; a sense of humanity is always there.
30 years of of the Practice Plan community
This year, Practice Plan celebrates 30 years of welcoming practices into the family, helping them to grow profitable and sustainable businesses through the introduction of practice-branded membership plans.
If you’re considering your options away from the NHS and are looking for a plan provider who will hold your hand through the process at a pace that’s right for you, you can start the conversation with Practice Plan today by calling 01691 684165 or to book your one-to-one NHS to private conversation at a date and time that suits you, just visit practiceplan.co.uk/nhsvirtual.
If you’d like to find out more about introducing a plan, and how we can help you, visit practiceplan.co.uk/nhs.
This article is sponsored by Practice Plan.
