The British Society of Paediatric Dentistry (BSPD) is paying tribute to dental nurses to mark International Nurses Day 2020 today (Tuesday).

Claire Stevens, BSPD’s spokesperson, said that she is extremely proud of dental nurse colleagues who have been redeployed.

One of them is her colleague Jo Wrigley who works in the Paediatric Department at Manchester Dental Hospital and was transferred to work with the Family Liaison Team at the Royal Manchester Infirmary amid the COVID-19 crisis.

Along with colleagues from the Manchester Dental Hospital, she has been an essential interface between terminally ill patients and their families.

Dental nurse Amanda Hunter, based in the Paediatric Dental Department at King’s College Hospital, joined colleague Paige Holdaway to work in the hospital’s Intensive Care Unit, helping with some of the sickest patients with COVID-19.

Liz Roebuck is a Consultant in Paediatric Dentistry at Edinburgh Dental Institute (and a member of BSPD’s Executive Committee) and has seen the difference some of her team members have been making to medical services in Scotland.

Lesley Allan and Nicola Vale have both been redeployed to work at a COVID-19 Assessment Centre based at St John’s Hospital in Livingston.

Dr Roebuck said: ‘Within dentistry, we know the crucial role of dental nurses in delivering effective patient care. A small, but important, benefit of the last two months has been the growing appreciation of their skills, expertise and professionalism across healthcare as a whole. Nurses Day 2020 has special meaning for all of us who are missing our dental nurse colleagues. There will be many emotional reunions as our teams regroup.’

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