Paul Blaylock

I am looking forward to starting in my new role as Regional Dental Workforce Development Advisor. This role covers the strategic development of dental workforce transformation in the North East and North Cumbria, at a time when this workforce faces a future full of challenges and opportunities. There is much to be done to make sure that we have the right dental workforce for the future, whichever NHS contract is in place in primary care, and to ensure that all members of this workforce have the opportunity to undertake appropriate continuing education and training.

There is also exciting work underway to train and support those disseminating oral health information to the public and patients, including those working in other parts of health and social care. The innovative team working with me will be seeking to further develop this work.

My current Health Education England posts include Training Programme Director for General Professional Training, Dental Core Training 1, and PLVE for those from outside Europe who are new to UK dentistry. I intend to use my experience from several years running my own mainly NHS dental practices in South Tyneside, working as an Associate Clinical Lecturer at Newcastle Dental School, and from other roles within HEE, to inform the planning undertaken in my new role.

Ben Wild

After almost 10 years spent as a Training Programme Director (and Educational Supervisor before that) I very much look forward to harnessing the experience gained working across three DFT schemes to build on the success of my predecessor John Ashman as Regional Dental Foundation Programmes Advisor.

I would believe this experience, together with a personal understanding of the responsibilities of primary care practice ownership should hold me in good stead to ensure effective and pragmatic leadership of Dental Foundation Training in the North East and North Cumbria whilst maintaining its position at the cutting edge of training development nationally.