08/09/2026 DFT Study Day 3 – Communication for Better Care & Assessments – Issues and Solutions in DFT

Course Information

Completion Time: 5 Hours

Venue: Lakeview Suite 1, Craigavon Civic & Conference Centre, Lakeview Road, Craigavon, Co Armagh, BT64 1AL

Speakers: Ruth Gray (Clinical Facilitator, NIMDTA) Siobhan Cushley, Alison Johnston & Anita Gallagher (Dental Advisers, NIMDTA)

Course Description

Communication for Better Care – Ruth Gray, Clinical Facilitator, NIMDTA

Assessments – (CbDs, MSFs, PAQs, Mini Audits, APLAN) & Issues and Solutions in DFT

Communication for Better Care

Objectives

1.  Demonstrate effective communication with patients, colleagues, and other healthcare professionals, including:

• Explaining treatment options clearly and obtaining informed consent.
• Handling complaints with professionalism and empathy.

2. Apply principles of teamwork and leadership in a dental setting, including:

• Collaborating effectively within the dental team.
• Supporting team-based decision-making.
• Understanding the basics of multi-disciplinary practice.

3. Communicating Professionally:

• Presenting Work.
• Communicating to creating change.

4. Reflect on their clinical practice and communication style to:

• Identify strengths and areas for improvement.

Learning Content

Focus on professional communication with use of Habits of the Improver, empathy mapping, team dynamics and liberating structures.

GDC Development Outcomes A, B, C & D

Assessments – (CbDs, MSFs, PAQs, Mini Audits, APLAN) & Issues and Solutions in DFT

Aims 

• increase sources of feedback on clinical cases, improving reliability of any outcomes.
• improve trainee assessment skills.
• help trainees benchmark their own performance in relation to peers.
• provide case examples which may help trainees manage similar cases they encounter in the future.
• demonstrate clinical communication skills.
• utilise evidence base to justify decisions being made.

Outcomes

• develop self-assessment skills.
• develop skills in critical refection and highlight future developmental needs.
• improve confidence in own clinical skills and benchmarking performance.

GDC Development Outcome A and B

Resources