Mentoring

Rebecca Smithson

'' I am Rebecca Smithson, I work for Sheffield Community and Special care dentistry as well as working for time for teeth covering prisons and secure psychiatric hospitals (Rampton and Wathwood). My dental interests are sedation, special care dentistry, dentistry in secure settings and trauma informed care. I am an ES for DCT and have experience supporting dental students in outreach training. ''

 

Nadine Houghton

''My name is Nadine Houghton and I am an orthodontic consultant in Bradford/Leeds and I have a special interest in dento-facial deformity, Hypodontia and autotransplantation. I have been the Training Programme Director in orthodontics for HEEYH since 2016. I completed the HEEYH mentoring course in 2019 and now lead the consultant mentoring scheme in Bradford Teaching Hospitals Foundation Trust.''
 

Jennie Ross

''I have been working as a GDP in a large NHS practice in Sheffield since 2012, and been an Education Supervisor in Foundation training since 2015. To further my interest in education and workforce development I completed an MSc in Healthcare Education in 2018. I also currently work in the Midlands region as Associate Dental Dean for Dental Workforce Development. Having previously received mentoring, finding it extremely beneficial from a personal and professional prospective, I wanted to be able to do the same for others and completed my mentoring training in 2021. Since then, I have been using the skills I learnt daily through my role as an Educational Supervisor and have provided mentoring support for other trainees in foundation and core training.''
 

Nancy Lockwood

''Having qualified in 1989 I spent the first 17 years of my career in the Royal Army Dental Corps providing comprehensive and compassionate oral health care to a patient population of serving military personnel, which extended to cover service families overseas. This also included deployments on operational tours of duty worldwide. On leaving the Army I have worked as an Associate Dental Surgeon in mixed NHS and Private Practices in North Yorkshire, since 2011 within Alpha Dental Care (Riverdale Health Care). I have enjoyed many years as an Educational Supervisor for numerous Foundation Dentists in our Bedale Branch. Here we have three surgeries, which includes the one for the Foundation Dentist, computerised with digital x-rays and rotary endodontics. I actively encourage my Foundation Dentists to utilise in vitro facilities to practice skills to gain confidence as their clinical case load expands (i.e. rotary endodontics on clear blocks or extracted teeth). I believe there should be a steady progression from undergraduate-postgraduate foundation dentist-associate dentist, and these early sessions provide confidence and reassurance to the new graduate.''
 

Elizabeth O'Sullivan

''I have previously been TPD for Paediatric Dentistry, am ES for STR in Paed Dent, ES for DCT2's in Paeds/SCD and CS for JDFCT's in Paed Dent all in the CDS in Hull. I'm a Consultant in Paediatric Dentistry at City Health Care Partnership (CIC) in Hull in the Specialist Dental Services (CDS). I completed the Mentoring Programme in 2018 and since then have been a facilitator on the training programme. I use mentoring informally in my daily workplace for trainees and other dental staff.''
 

Richard Krzeminski

''I’m Richard, a general dental practitioner who qualified in Leeds in 2006. I am a general dental practitioner who works in a busy practice in Shipley, north of Bradford. I have been an Educational Supervisor for Dental Foundation Training since 2017 and completed HEEYH’s mentoring course in 2019. I am also a clinical dental adviser for NHS England in Yorkshire and the Humber, a role in which I support practitioners who are in difficulty or present with performance concerns. I have found the mentoring skills invaluable whilst working in these various roles.''

 

Alison Whitehead

 

"My name is Alison Whitehead. I qualified in 2007 as a dentist from Sheffield. I have worked for the NHS in both hospital and general practice, where I have supported foundation dentists and also a dentist through PLVE.

I currently work in a general practice in South Elmsall, West Yorkshire. I work predominantly as a private dentist, but still provide some NHS dentistry and I am an Educational Supervisor for our Foundation Dentist. I have only recently explored and developed my skills specific to mentoring by attending an intensive 4 day course by Ghazala Ahmad-Mear. As such I use the Skilled Helper Model as a framework for my mentoring sessions and thoroughly enjoy spending time with anyone who wants to work through an issue or opportunity.''

 

Rosalind Bannister

'' I am Specialist in Paediatric Dentistry and have been working in the Harrogate and District Foundation Trust since 2010 and in a clinical teaching role at the University of Leeds since 2012. I am a clinical supervisor for DCTs, Level 2s and STRs and have been an educational supervisor for DCTs/STR for 8 years.  I completed HEEYH's mentoring programme in 2021 and subsequently joined the mentoring programme.''

 

Jacob Watwood

"Jacob is a friendly and caring dentist who is passionate about making every dental experience as relaxed and comfortable as possible, whilst providing the highest quality of care to his patients. Jacob offers the full range of general dental care including, but not limited to, general care and maintenance of your dental health, emergency dental care, gum disease treatment, root canal treatments, dentures, tooth whitening and crowns.

What Jacob enjoys most about dentistry is getting to know his patients. He feels it is important to understand what his patients want to get out of their dental experience and to provide them with a personalised approach to their care. Jacob gives his patients lots of time during his appointments to listen to his patients and discuss what is important to them.

Growing up in Chesterfield Jacob spent much of his time mountain biking in the Peak District. To pursue a career in dentistry and explore the world class mountain biking trails of Wales, he moved to Cardiff, qualifying from Cardiff University with honours in 2016. Shortly afterwards Jacob passed the entrance examinations to become a member of the Faculty of Dental Surgeons (MFDS, Royal College of Surgeons Edinburgh).

After completing the Dental Foundation program in Chesterfield, Jacob moved back to South Wales to embark on postgraduate training in maxillofacial surgery, paediatrics and special care dentistry. This gave Jacob a broad experience from treating cases of serious injury through to care of the elderly and those less able to access high street dental care.

Jacob now lives in rural Lincolnshire with his Fiancé and works in the South Yorkshire area providing general dental care and emergency dental care. Jacob has a passion for education. After a period of teaching the undergraduate dental students at Sheffield University and completing a Postgraduate Certificate in Medical Education at the University of Dundee, he now mentors Foundation Dentists in practice.

Whilst not at work Jacob enjoys cycling and motor biking (when the weather’s nice!), seeing live music or tinkering with his car."

 

Sarah Robertson

"My name is Sarah Robertson, and I am a Consultant in Dental Public Health working in the Yorkshire and the Humber Dental Public Health Team.  I qualified as a dentist from Sheffield University in 2000, and worked in general dental practice, the community dental services and hospital services, before specialising in Dental Public Health.  I have worked in Dental Public Health for many years, initially in Primary Care Trusts, and then Public Health England before transferring to NHSE. I support local authorities around oral health improvement programmes, and South Yorkshire ICB around commissioning of dental services to meet the needs of the local population. I am passionate about reducing oral health inequalities, so much of my work is focused on deprived and vulnerable communities.  Our team includes several specialist registrars, and as both an educational and clinical supervisor it has been useful for me to develop my mentoring skills.  However, mentoring Is not just for trainees, and my experience is that it can be useful at any stage of your career."

 

Donna Ashby

"My name is Donna Ashby and I am a Dental Therapist. I qualified in 2012 from Sheffield University. I have worked in dentistry for 26 years firstly as a dental nurse then qualified as a Dental Therapist. I work as a dental Therapist in Harrogate and Ripon, North Yorkshire in NHS and Private practice as well as being responsible for  the dental compliance. I have supported Foundation Dental Therapists as an Educational Supervisor over the last several years. I also work 1 day a week with NHSE for the Workforce Development Team as a DCP tutor.

I had the privilege this year of taking part in an intensive 4 day mentoring and coaching course by Ghazala Ahmad-Mear. It was a fantastic opportunity which I learnt so much from and gained many new skills especially being introduced to the Skilled Helper Model framework. Since then, I have been using the skills I learnt with-in my day to day life especially though my educational supervisor role."

 

Sally Eapen Simon

"My name is Sally Eapen Simon and I am a Consultant in Dental Public Health (Yorkshire and the Humber), NHS England. Having spent 15 years in clinical practice working in both primary and secondary care and the Community Dental Service, I have had an unusual career pathway following completion of dental public health specialty training in 2013. Following a period of 4 years as a Consultant in Dental Public Health working for Public Health England, I took up the post as Screening and Immunisation Consultant lead working across Yorkshire which involved taking on a senior strategic leadership in relation to the NHSE commissioned NHS screening and immunisation programmes. In 2022, I returned to dentistry and took up the role as Dental Clinical Commissioning Lead, NHSE, re-joining the Dental Public Health Team in 2024 in my current consultant post. I have broad experience in speciality training project supervision for both dental public health and public health and includes undergraduate and postgraduate teaching at Sheffield University. I was recently appointed as the TPD for Dental Public Health and feel fortunate to have benefited from mentoring, which has supported both my professional and personal development."

 

Ian McHenry

'My name is Ian McHenry, and I'm a specialty dentist in oral and maxillofacial surgery at the Mid Yorks NHS Trust. I'm a specialist in oral surgery, and an educational supervisor for our DCT/JDFCT colleagues, as well as our oral surgery registrar. 

I completed the HEEYH's mentoring programme in 2024 using the Skilled Helper Model, and this has been helpful both formally as an ES and informally with colleagues."

 

Jagtar Deu

"My name is Jagtar Deu. I qualified in 1995 as a dentist from Liverpool. I have worked for the NHS in both hospital and general practice, where I have supported foundation dentists since 2004.

I am a Practice owner and currently work in a general practice in Leeds, West Yorkshire. I have been an Educational Supervisor for Dental Foundation Training since 2004 and completed HEEYH's mentoring programme in May 2021.