Workforce, training and education
Yorkshire and Humber

Mentoring

Mentoring is defined as (Oxley, 1998):

“the process whereby an experienced, highly regarded, empathetic individual (the mentor) guides another individual (the mentee) in the development and re-examination of their own ideas, learning and personal and professional development”

IT IS:

  • Helping you define your issue, facilitating you exploring and finding the optimal solution.
  • Helping you set achievable actions to your timelines.
  • It is mentee led as far as pro-action but mentor led through a structured, ‘proven to work’ framework to help you be your best self.

IT IS NOT:

  • Providing the solution or instruction to resolve your problem.
  • A counselling service.

The Mentor/mentee relationship can be informal or formal. Formal mentoring will provide a relationship agreement with set boundaries and caveats, protecting you and other people in your lives, in particular, patient care.

HEYH provides mentoring to trainees who feel they are struggling or facing greater challenges than they are experienced to handle. The mentoring facility can be self-directed or advised as a result of a non-standard RCP Outcome.

 

Our Mentors

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."

How to access mentoring

To request a Mentor, please complete the following form with your details and your preferred mentors. A member of the Dental Team will then be in touch within a couple of weeks with details of your assigned Mentor.

Choosing Your Mentor

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