| Lecturer profile | Qualifications 1985 B.Ch.D (Leeds),
1993 MGDS part 1 (RCS London),
2016 Pg Cert. Dental Law & Ethics
(Bedfordshire),
2016 Cardiff University Bond Solon Expert
Witness Certificate
GDC 60530
Associate 1986–2005 NHS / Private, various practices, London & Cambridgeshire
Committee Work 1989–1991 Member of Redbridge and Barkingside LDC
Principal 2005-2018 Private, Burwell, Cambridgeshire
Associate 2018 – date Private, Burwell, Cambridgeshire
Clinical Advisor 2016 – date General Dental Council
Expert Witness 2017-date General Dental Council, Dental Protection, Dental Defence
Union
Brief summary of skills acquired through general practice
I have been in general practice since 1986, both on the NHS and private sector. As an
associate, I had to constantly prove myself to my patients and also to the staff who
considered me too young and inexperienced. I found out very quickly that no patient would
ever discover what a great dentist I was if they did not trust me in the first place. And so, I
developed good communication skills:
In 2005 I had the opportunity to buy a practice and found myself rapidly bogged down with
stress as I juggled staff issues, compliance, family commitments and clinical work. It
dawned on me that despite achieving my dream of owning a practice, it was not quite the
rosy scene that I had imagined it to be. I was fortunate enough to have someone by my
side to coach me and realised that although I had a clear vision of where I wanted to
aspire to be, I needed help to make it happen.
I was encouraged to have the audacity to express my dreams and then guided on the first
steps towards this goal. Although I had to make very difficult choices, I knew they were the
right decisions. I was then able to set up systems in place to move forward and I was
finally enjoying dentistry again.
Since then I have been using my experience in supporting staff and colleagues through
different life crises including anxiety, depression and domestic abuse to reach their
potential in achieving their own goals. Some have since changed their career; others had
moved on to buy a practice.
In 2016 I became a Clinical Adviser and Expert Witness after completing the Pg Cert in
Dental Law and Ethics and the Cardiff University Bond Solon Expert Witness certificate. I
have since been writing reports relating to various issues including underperformance,
poor standards of clinical work, record keeping, fraud and consent. It became obvious that
there were many complaints involving dentists who had been slow to maintain standards
(mainly through fear of change) and/or those who had poor communication skills who then
failed to build patients’ trust. I realised that the vast majority of the complaints could have
been avoided with very simple steps. Prevention is fundamental, just as in clinical
dentistry.
I aim to use my experience to inspire and support you along your journey to a future that
you dare to dream of. |
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