Barriers to raising concerns?

Of the 328 dental professionals who responded, less than a quarter (75) had experience of raising concerns, such as about the conduct of a colleague or inadequate resources.

Of those who had raised concerns, 49 reported that the matter was dealt with to their satisfaction (65 per cent) although 20 felt they had been ignored or the problem was still being investigated and of these respondents, five said they had since left the practice.

Just eight per cent of respondents (26/328) reported that they had encountered barriers to reporting concerns such as pressure from colleagues and management or anxiety that their career might be adversely affected. A handful (9 respondents) felt that raising concerns had resulted in them being subject to unfair criticism or discrimination at work, such as being made to feel like a trouble-maker.

By contrast, 40 of those who had actually raised concerns said they had done so with colleagues rather than as an individual, and most respondents (217) said they would seek advice from a colleague if they were considering taking action or from their dental defence organisation (220). This suggests that in many cases, members of the dental team felt supported in speaking out on matters of patient safety.