The Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 [1], imposes duty of all employers to ensure health, safety and welfare at work of all employees. The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 [2], requires employers to carry out a risk assessment of any health risks, including stress, for their employees. It is a legal requirement to record the significant findings of the risk assessment if there are five or more members of staff in the practice; however, all practices are strongly advised to do this, as evidence that a risk assessment has been carried out is a requirement of the Combined Practice Inspection [3].
There are many resources available to support mental health and wellbeing. One resource developed specifically for dental teams is the FDI World Dental Federation [4] digital toolkit for Mental Health and well-being in the dental workplace which provides a three-step action-oriented approach (Determine, Do, Discuss) at different levels of intervention (Individual, Organisational, National) to improve mental health and well-being.
The three-step approach, with links to suggested external resources, is presented below.
Organisational (workplace) level suggestions are directed at practice owners, practice principals and managers to help them create a supportive workplace to improve the mental health and wellbeing of their dental team. Workplaces may include dental practices, dental clinics in hospitals, universities, community settings and dental technician laboratories.
Individual level suggestions that may be of interest to members of the team are also provided.
National level of intervention includes advocacy, prevention and action strategies. These national level interventions are outwith the remit of the PSM, and therefore examples of these interventions are not included here.
Sources of information
- Health and Safety at Work etc Act (1974)
- The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations (1999)
- Combined Practice Inspection. Scottish Dental
- FDI World Dental Federation