East of England
East of England Dental Foundation Training Schemes
East of England is an area of contrasts. You will find here cities, market towns and rural communities. Our training practices are to be found in all these areas, and in themselves are of very differing size and style.
In East of England we believe strongly that individual people are important, and we try to ensure that your development is the driving force for your Dental Foundation Training year. We have six Dental Foundation Training Schemes, one in each of the region's ICB areas, one Joint Dental Foundation and Core Training Scheme and one Dental Therapist Foundation Training Scheme. Information about each of the Schemes is on this page.
Back to Top
Bedfordshire and Luton
Training Programme Director: Peter Cranfield
Telephone: 01462 434323 peter.cranfield@hee.nhs.uk
Administrator: Chandima Johnson
Telephone: 01234 792051 chandima.johnson@bedfordhospital.nhs.uk
Ampthill Road. Bedford MK42 9DJ
Bedfordshire and Luton Scheme started in 1993 as an inter-regional scheme, and since then has established itself with a firm reputation for quality and friendliness. Many of the Training practices have been part of the Scheme for successive years, and most of the Trainers hold the PGCert Ed qualification. The practices cover Bedfordshire and parts of Hertfordshire, and many are within very easy reach of North London.
The Training Programme Director for this Scheme is Peter Cranfield. He established the Scheme and has built a network of enthusiastic and committed Educational Supervisors. He holds the role of Associate Dean for Multiprofessional Programmes and Innovation, and has an overview and responsibility for many initiatives at a regional and national level. Peter is in part time general dental practice, and for 36 years was a member of the Hertfordshire Local Dental Committee.
The Bedfordshire and Luton Day Release Course is usually held on Fridays, and the Scheme concentrates on using the power of group learning to the benefit of all members of the Scheme. The huge level of support and friendship gained from being part of a keen and active learning group is a wonderful strength which will help you greatly during your first year in practice. This is matched by a level of experience, skill and commitment from the Educational Supervisors which is second to none.
Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire are two small but varied counties. The contrasts of busy vibrant urban environments and beautiful rural areas are packed together in an unusual mix. There are areas of great prosperity and also areas of high deprivation, so a range patients with a range of treatment needs will be found, even within one practice. There are many opportunities for leisure activities and with two international airports (Luton and Stansted), 3 main rail lines and 4 major motorways, links to the rest of the world are easy.
Cambridgeshire and Peterborough
Training Programme Director : Eva King
Telephone: TBC eva.king@hee.nhs.uk
Administrator: Janice Phillips
Telephone: 01223 348884 Ext: 348884 jpp51@medschl.cam.ac.uk
Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Hills Road,Cambridge. CB2 0QQ
The Cambridge and Peterborough Scheme is located primarily in Cambridgeshire, and there are a few practices located in the adjoining county of Bedfordshire. All our Education Supervisors are very experienced dentists in well established practices. You will find them to be passionate about Foundation Training, and so devoting a great deal of their time to teaching you, something they find thoroughly rewarding. Their practices provide for rich learning opportunities to help build much needed clinical experience in all the core disciplines. It will be encouraged that FDs learn not only from treating patients, but also learn from the wider team, their peers, colleagues, and study day speakers.
Our study days and learning hub mostly takes place at the world renowned Addenbrookes campus in Cambridge. You will find a lot of our ESs and local specialists provide your additional teaching on study days, so you will be able to foster network connections as well improve your breadth of knowledge to improve your day to day to practice. Cambridge city has good road and rail access to London, but is a fantastic city in its own right with lots to do and enjoy.
As your Training Programme Director, my role is to provide you with the opportunity to use this year for your personal advantage and to establish the foundations of a successful future (whatever that looks like for you), and advise and help you to get even more out of this learning programme.
Hertfordshire and West Essex
Training Programme Director: Peter Russell
Telephone: 01604 630984 peter.russell@hee.nhs.uk
Administrator: Janice Bentham
Telephone: 01438 284923 janice.bentham1@nhs.net
East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust, Corey’s Mill Lane, Stevenage, Herts. SG1 4AB
The scheme developed from the Old Stevenage scheme of the last few years and is based at the education centre at Lister Hospital in Stevenage.
The Hertfordshire and West Essex Scheme is ideally suited for both those wishing to live in London and those looking for more affordable accommodation but still wanting easy access to the capital's attractions. Less than 30 minutes by train from London (King's Cross), and 5 minutes off the A1, there are excellent transport links and easy commuting to the hospital for study days.
This year is your year. It is about you changing yourself from being an individual, competitive student into a team playing professional: it is about your immersion in the world of general dental practice and learning ‘how to work’ through extensive wide-ranging clinical experience and often difficult and challenging situations within the NHS. It is about building a bed rock for you to fly into your new practice future.
As such our scheme ethos is centred on learning through participation in practice and with the other schemes in our area. Our aim is to help you develop into proficient, caring clinicians who provide high quality outcomes for your patients.
There is, of course, a structure and framework to the year but you are expected to be proactive and self-directed in your learning. You will be expected to contribute, debate, challenge and justify your reasoning. You will present to a wide variety of audiences during the year. The study days are your days and the more you participate, the more you will gain.
As your Training Programme Director, I will endeavour to help you, advise you and cajole you, to attain the success you seek and need, to move forward in your next career stages. I have been an SHO in Oral surgery, a GDP for longer than I’d like to say and involved in dental training of nurses and Dentists for some years.
This year is unique and special in your career. Grab it with both hands and make it work for you!
Mid and South Essex
Training Programme Director: Anil Patel
Telephone: 01923 672773 anil.patel@hee.nhs.uk
Administrator: TBC
Telephone: TBC TBC
The Gateway Building, 36 Queens Road, Southend on Sea SS1 1BF
Welcome to the new Mid & South Essex Scheme. This was previously the long-established Basildon scheme and has an excellent reputation for providing a wide range of stimulating study days. We ensure the required educational needs are met with a good mix of Day Release Course topics presented in a manner to make the year enjoyable and lively. The study days are facilitated by professionals of the highest calibre, many of whom are either general practitioners or specialists.
We have educational supervisors some very established and others new to bring a very blended experience to trainees. Every opportunity is given to Foundation Dentists to interact in sessions and question what they know. We take the feedback of our Foundation Dentists very seriously and each year the programme is modified to reflect this and the requirements of this ever-changing profession. The scheme is run in a very friendly and transparent way so as to make the training and learning fun and challenging.
The Training Programme Director is Anil Patel. He has been an educational supervisor for over 20 years, runs multiple practices, has been a past clinical teacher at Guys Hospital and is a trained clinical expert for the GDC so he brings immense experience to support trainees and the challenges they face. Approachability and open communication are the key recipes to our scheme.
Norfolk and Waveney
Training Programme Director: Suzanne Plummer
Telephone: 01493 728351 suzanne.plummer@hee.nhs.uk
Administrator: Sophie Hudson
Telephone: 01603 286884 sophie.hudson@nnuh.nhs.uk
Administrator: Neil Redpath
Telephone: 01603 286852 neil.redpath@nnuh.nhs.uk
Norfolk & Norwich University Hospital NHS Trust, Education Centre, Colney Lane, Norwich NR4 7UY
We are very lucky to have an exciting programme of speakers this year who are all very knowledgeable and passionate about their field of expertise. Study days are held at the Norfolk and Norwich hospital and are a great opportunity to meet your peers and learn in a modern environment. The Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital opened its doors to its first patients in November 2001. The Dental Foundation Course holds the majority of its sessions in the Bob Champion Research and Education Centre, which is a joint venture between the UEA and the NNUH. Hands-on sessions are held in the Technical Skills Laboratory which features 12 independent dental mannequins to work on.
The Scheme actively encourages an open and lively approach using small group sessions and peer review. The centre at the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital has an excellent skills room which is used by the Scheme to support hands on skill development.
The training practices are a mixture of city practices and practices in the market towns. The practices are well appointed with good size surgeries and have a large number of patients allowing for a wide range of experiences during the training year. Most practices are family orientated practices in nature so again a varied range of experience is obtained from the very young to the more elderly. In the past Foundation Dentists have found this broad range of experience and exposure very beneficial in their career development. The educational supervisors are selected because of their experience and commitment to foundation training and will be very influential early on in your career.
Norwich is a vibrant city, in touch with today’s world, but at the same time steeped in history and overflowing with culture. You can easily spend the day shopping, wandering along Tudor cobbled lanes, or taking in some of the wonderful historical buildings that Norwich has to offer. Or indeed entertain yourself at the theatre or cinema, or one of the many galleries in and around Norwich. It has extensive shopping and entertainment, whilst offering affordable housing and good schools. The North Norfolk Coast has some excellent beaches and many superb restaurants. For those who like water sports the Norfolk Broads offer excellent facilities from the more peaceful pursuits of sailing to the more adventurous water sports of water ski-ing and power boat racing.
Norwich has an excellent train service to the heart of London (Liverpool Street station) so making access to London easy. It also has a thriving regional airport that links to the international hub at Amsterdam, so making international travel easy; whilst Stansted airport is also within easy commuting distance.
Suffolk and North East Essex
Training Programme Director: Jemimah Rowden
Telephone: 01277 220147 jemimah.rowden@hee.nhs.uk
Administrator: Abigail Boyd
Telephone: 01473 702561 Ext: 1561 dental.administrator@esneft.nhs.uk
Ipswich Hospital, Heath Road, Ipswich, IP4 5PD
The Suffolk and North East Essex Scheme has a range of Training Practices, supported by experienced and friendly Educational Supervisors.
For most Study Days we meet at the Ipswich Postgraduate Medical and Dental Education Centre, which is situated in Ipswich. here there are high quality teaching rooms and an on-site simulation suite with a hands-on room equipped with the latest phantom heads.
Feedback and reflection are encouraged from both Foundation Dentists and Educational Supervisors to ensure continuous development of the programme. Most of the Educational Supervisors have been involved with Dental Foundation Training for many years and will do their best to ensure that you have an excellent start in your dental career.
The Training Programme Director, Jemimah Rowden has many years of experience in practice and has been an Educational Supervisor.
We aim to provide a varied and stimulating first year in practice. You will work hard but the rewards will be worth it as you make your first steps into your professional career. Most importantly, we want you to have a year to remember for all the right reasons.
Joint Dental Foundation and Core
Training Programme Director: Eva King
Telephone: TBC eva.king@hee.nhs.uk
Administrator: Janice Phillips
Telephone: 01223 348884 Ext: 348884 jpp51@medschl.cam.ac.uk
Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Hills Road,Cambridge. CB2 0QQ
The Joint Dental Foundation and Core Training is a longitudinal (2 year scheme) that incorporates both Foundation Dentistry and Dental Core Training 1 together. The benefit of this scheme is that you only apply once and on successful completion obtain not only your certificate of Satisfactory Completion of DFT but also a certificates of completion of DCT1. It allows you to learn at a pace that allows you embed your wider learning into practice as you will spend alternate weeks in practice and in DCT. This continuing dual experience can makes your learning more enjoyable and fulfilling. You will be exposed to three different core training rotations of 8 months each, so you will you gain a variety of skills and knowledge in different dental fields.
All our Foundation Dental practices will be situated within our well established foundation dental areas, predominately Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire. You will find your ESs on this portion of your training are highly skilled and able to provide you with all the skills to succeed in general practice. All of our DCT placements have been picked to provide extra skills and supportive environment for you to learn. You will join the other DCTs in the areas for the regional study days and local learning in your settings, and follow the same foundation dental study days. Your study days will largely be based at the world renowned Addenbrookes Campus, with Cambridge city on your doorstep which has something for everyone.
My role is to support you over the two years to achieve the most out of this unique opportunity and grow into your career. I hope to make these crucial, early years as a dentist as easy and useful as possible and form key skills you will use for many years to come.
Dental Therapist Foundation Training Scheme
Training Programme Lead: Jyoti Sumel
Email: jyoti.sumel1@nhs.net
Administrator: Janice Phillips
Telephone: 01223 348884 Ext: 348884 jpp51@medschl.cam.ac.uk
Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Hills Road,Cambridge. CB2 0QQ
Dental Therapy Foundation Training has been established and successfully running in the East of England since 2019, as part of the Midlands and East Region. Following the de-agregation of East of England and Midlands Regions, the scheme is now entirely within East of England Region. The scheme is designed for newly qualified dental therapists of up to two years post qualification.
The scheme is based centrally at the Deakin Centre on the Addenbrooke’s Hospital site in Cambridge There are 20 study days per year. They are a mix of lecture-style, hands-on, and small group discussion seminars. The study days are hosted by the Training Programme Lead with guest speakers in specialist subject areas relevant to the therapy scope of practice. The training practices are located across the East of England Region. Our Educational supervisors are experienced dentists who have a drive and enthusiasm for teaching and guiding newly qualified dental professionals into the world of general practice.