HEE Midlands and East

The Educational Supervisor: Anita is the practice's clinical lead and has an exciting, mixed clinical portfolio. Having graduated with her BDS from Guy's, she took up a House Officer role within Guy's Paediatric Department. She was then fortunate enough to go on and undertake a House Officer role within their Oral Surgery Department. Anita completed her own DFT on the East London scheme. She remained in the same practice as an Associate developing herself further before moving to the West Midlands to continue working as an Associate across several well respected practices honing her skill-set and knowledge base along the way. Anita's experiences make her an ethical, capable, experienced and well rounded clinician, having a wide variety of experience working with patients and staff from different backgrounds in different settings and conditions. She has a keen interest in teaching and professional development. Having been a FD herself, she fully appreciates the potential needs of a newly qualified clinician and her supportive and considerate nature make her an ideal ES. She has experience in working with newly qualified Dentists, Therapists, Managers and Nurses alike, demonstrating her understanding of all facets of general practice and her ability to communicate and work with others on different levels. She is approachable, light hearted and enjoys sharing her knowledge and experiences with others whilst equally learning from others at the same time. She is a fountain of knowledge for anyone wanting their introduction into general practice to be an invaluable experience and with her one-to-one guidance, she is able to offer not only clinical support but also informed career advice and guidance not just now, but for years to come. Her efforts have led to her being chosen to front NHS England's 'A little trip to the Dentist' campaign - so if you think she looks familiar thats probably the reason why. 

The Practice: We are a group of award winning practices based across Sandwell and Walsall. We are BDA Good Practice Scheme accredited and have won numerous local and national awards. The practice is purpose built and is the newest of our practices. It is a friendly and welcoming, busy, mixed NHS and private practice, set up to facilitate not only patient care but also, staff development and learning. Split over two levels the lower floor features an eye catching, fully accessible, open plan reception and waiting room to aid patient flow and improve the patient journey and experience. We are fully computerised (SOE) and have an automated checkin and form completion system (clinipads), state of the art surgeries with fibre-optic handpieces, rotary NITI, digital xrays/OPG, LED technology, phones/WIFI and a large range of good quality modern instruments, equipment and materials. If you need anything just ask. We have a new best practice designed decontamination suite to ensure compliance and safety. The first floor has a dedicated learning suite and study. We have a host of educational resources including IT and are affiliated with CPD coordinators guru258 enabling us to provide relevant CPD free of charge, for all staff. We have a team of experienced long serving staff, all of whom have experience in working with newly qualified staff. Most of the staff have themselves trained with us and they not only understand how important support from the rest of the team is but also how they personally will play a part in that. The staff are able to help an FD learn and develop including how to manage their workloads and diaries. We have all been new to something, been nervous and unsure but we are fortunate enough to have a team which is professional yet open, has a lively approach and is understanding and supportive of individual learning needs ensuring the highest quality educational support is provided.

The Area: Wednesbury is a bustling market town in England's Black Country, part of the Sandwell Metropolitan Borough in the West Midlands, near the source of the River Thames, historically part of Staffordshire. It is of particular historic significance having its own Museum and Art Gallery, even receiving mention in the Domesday Book (Wadnesberie) in 1086. The local area has seen significant investment and is home to retail giants Ikea, Currys PC World, Morrisons, B&Q, Next, M&S, Smash Burger and Nando's to name but a few. All this has taken place whilst the traditional Market Place has been protected with Union Street itself benefiting from Conservation area status. There are many open green spaces and a new leisure complex within walking distance. Wednesbury offers a range of patients from the very young to the more elderly, exempt and fee paying, new and existing with a range of treatment needs providing a truly diverse learning opportunity. This should allow the FD to learn the principles of 'how to work' through extensive wide ranging clinical experience. Enabling them to self appraise, develop and grow, by working on their weaknesses whilst developing their strengths. There is an emphasis on working at your own pace and being comfortable, full clinical freedom whilst being able to offer the full range of NHS treatment modalities. Wednesbury is easily accessed via Junction 9 on the M6 if travelling by car. It is within easy commuting distance from Birmingham, West Bromwich, Walsall, Wolverhampton and Dudley. It is also readily accessible by rail, bus and metro with the latter undergoing a revamp to allow even easier access to Brierley Hill, Dudley and the proposed HS2 network. There is ample free and low cost parking and the practice is currently in the process of completing its own newly acquired car park.

Other Points of Interest: When we redesigned the practice it was a long held dream to put together a team made up of clinically skilled, hardworking and down to earth professionals, operating from a state of the art facility to offer the best possible care. Having been a FD within the same area and training scheme, the Principal Gurjit Moore, knew from his and the team's own experiences what was required to help a trainee settle into general practice and develop in a way which would offer a truly supported immersion into general practice. We want to help our trainees develop into proficient, caring clinicians, who provide high quality outcomes for patients. We want to promote forward thinking, innovation, encourage creativity and focus on developing the individual's readiness for the ever changing job market. Let's be honest, we all want employability at the end of it and all our previous trainees have all gone on to gain post training employment, more often than not within one of our own practices or other well regarded organisations. We have a mix of professionals with varying levels of experience and interests within our group of practices and we are eager to continue to add to that by developing our own 'superstars'. We want to  ensure your individual learning needs are supported and you are fully equipped to deal with life in general dental practice on completion of hopefully an enjoyable and successful FD year. So whether its sedation, orthodontics, implants or anything else that fascinates you, we as a group can ensure you get the opportunity to observe or gain some experience in these areas. We, as should you, regard this as the start of your professional career and not just an adjunct to your undergraduate training. We look forward to welcoming the successful candidate to the family and starting this new chapter together.