Dental team immunisation

Foundation dentists supporting vaccination programmes in England

Background In 2020/21, as part of the COVID-19 pandemic response and for the first time in England, newly qualified foundation dentists (FDs) were trained to participate in flu and COVID-19 vaccination programmes to offer additional workforce capacity. The largest of these efforts was in Yorkshire and the Humber where 106 FDs were trained and ready to mobilise. The aim of this service evaluation was to appraise the use of FDs in delivering vaccinations.Methods Mixed methods using an online questionnaire to FDs and in-depth remote interviews conducted with host organisations, Public Health England, Health Education England and others.Results The questionnaire response rate was 89% (n = 94), with 54 FDs having participated in vaccinations at a rate of 50-100 vaccines per day. All were confident with flu vaccine administration and most (n = 44/54) with COVID-19 vaccination. Eleven stakeholder interviews were conducted. Main barriers included the siloed delivery of dental care from other health services, resulting in collaborative barriers and a lack of understanding about the profession's skillsets. Facilitators included host organisations' capacity to hold multiple honorary contracts and provide competency sign-off.Conclusion Utilising the dental workforce to deliver vaccinations was feasible at a time of crisis and when trainees' access to dental patients was limited.

A Local Dental Network Approach to the COVID-19 Pandemic: Innovation Through Collaboration

STRUCTURE

We present the principles for selecting and initiating hubs, the integration with secondary care services and the supply of personal protective equipment.

PROCESS

The main elements are communication, the development of referral processes to manage complex cases and data collection.

OUTCOME

Through work with local dental stakeholders, 23 clusters and 36 hubs were set up covering a large geographical area.The integrated network of hubs and clusters has strengthened collaboration between providers and policy makers. Various leadership approaches facilitated the readiness for the transition to recovery. The new local collaborative structures could be used to support local programmes such as flexible commissioning, peer-led learning and integration with primary care networks.