NHS England Workforce, Training & Education Northeast and North Cumbria

Dental Therapist Foundation Training

Recruitment 2024/2025 Timeline (local process)

NHSE Workforce, Training and Education North East (NHSE W,T&E NE) are no longer accepting applications for the Dental Therapist Foundation Training Programme (DTFT) 2023/24 .  The information below is for reference only.

Click here for an interactive map showing the 2023-24 training practices.

The Dental Therapists Foundation Training programme (DTFT) has been developed to support newly qualified Dental Therapists during their transition into the Primary Dental Care workforce.

The Scheme places particular emphasis on providing continued support and education in a clinical environment, as well as assisting the development of personal skills and knowledge through the educational study day programme and supported by Educational Supervisors and the Training Programme Director.

Covering the North East and North Cumbria, the scheme runs from 1 September until 31 August each year.

Study days are held at our dedicated training facility at Bourne House, Durham.

Foundation Dental Therapists benefit from:

• employed placement in primary care NHS Practice for 3-days per week and 2 days a week in an enhanced programme placement
• Minimum of 18 organised study days based at our clinical facility in Durham
• Over 100 hours of CPD
• Support of a dedicated Educational Supervisor in practice
• Set aside time in practice for one to one learning
• Support and networking from your peers
• Access to the National e-Portfolio for Dental Foundation Training

DTFT posts consist of placements in General Dental Practice and Community Dental Services or as part of schemes working in both the primary and secondary care environment. Trainees are employed by the training practice under a standard contract for 35 hours per week. One day per week during term time is designated a study day, usually at our local postgraduate centre in Belmont, Durham. There is a minimum of eighteen study days per year that must be attended in order to complete the programme.

Successful completion of this placement will lead to the award of a Certificate of Completion of Dental Therapist Foundation Training. 

Enhanced Programme:

The 2023/24 programme has the placements below in additional services and specialties.

Places will be offered on a competitive basis and where possible we will attempt to allocate people based on geographical location but this may not always be feasible based on demand and availability.

Oral Health Education placement:

Two placements with the Directorate of Multi-Professional Dental Education based at our Bourne House facility in Durham, but it is outreach teaching so commuting across the North East region will be required. You will be involved with educating other health professionals in Oral health, for example visiting Care Homes, Pharmacies or GP Practices. As part of your training you will also complete a Level 3 Qualification in Education and Training.

Community Dental Services placement:

This placement will be based at Community Dental Service (CDS) sites across the North East in NHS Foundation Trusts. It will involve working with CDS teams, within your scope of practice, giving you an experience of working in specialist services and provide opportunity for more diverse career pathways.

Paediatric Dental Department Placement:

This placement is based on the Paediatric Department at Newcastle Dental Hospital. It will involve working with the clinical team on the department, experiencing the unique aspects of specialist paediatric dental care.

Dental Public Health Placement:

This is a non-clinical placement based with the Dental Public Health team in the North East. You will be working alongside other Specialist Public Health trainees on projects across the region, that will integrate with Local authorities and Health and Social Care systems. It will include training on analysing and manipulation of large data sets, with an aim to present the outcomes of these projects at a national meeting/conference and include a possible publication in a peer reviewed journal. There may be need for travelling across the region as part of data collection activity, and therefore independent transport will be required. 

Research Placement:

Two placements will be available to work with the Clinical Research Team at Newcastle University School of Dental Science. Due to the lead time on research and the length of time of the programme, this placement will involve desk-based projects (e.g. secondary data analysis, systemic reviews or economic analysis). It will provide a fantastic opportunity to be involved directly in a research project, giving insight into possible future career pathways in academic research.

Salary: £33,706 per annum

For further information regarding the programme please contact Barbara Briggs england.dft.ne@nhs.net 

For information regarding Educational Supervisor Recruitment please click here

For further information regarding the programme please refer to the HEENE website: https://madeinheene.hee.nhs.uk/dental_training/Dental-Therapists.