The Foundation Therapist Role

The Foundation Therapists will be salaried and are required at their practice placements full time where an Educational Supervisor will provide support and mentor with a focus around developing clinical experience alongside the completion of an ePortfolio. Treating patients at the practice placements will enable the Foundation Therapist to gain a range of experience within their scope of practice under excellent support. 

The role of an Educational Supervisor (ES)

An ES is to provide support within the practice environment to the FT. There will be many forms of teaching given from formal context of tutorials and in the broader framework of teaching by clinical example. The ES is in the best position to assess the FT’s needs. Through the various processes of assessments and tutorials these needs can be identified and discussed. This is an active process which requires the Educational Supervisor to be responsive to the needs of the trainee and to possess certain qualifications. 

Benefits of Foundation Training: 

• 12 month employed placement in a primary care NHS Practice, 5 days per week. One of which is a study day and another a community day. 
• Joint organised study days with the foundation dentists to help integrate skill mixing within the workforce. 
• Verifiable CPD hours on study days 
• A designated Educational Supervisor in practice to support the foundation therapist. 
• Peer support and networking from your peers 
• Access to the National e-portfolio for Foundation Training
• Outreach opportunities that will include Oral Health Promotion in Community projects such as the Oral Health Bus visiting schools and Homeless/ Asylum seeker projects. 

Duration of the Programme 

The DTFT start date is Friday 1st September 2023. The scheme will run until 31st August 2024. All applicants must be UK graduated, GDC registered and indemnified before the start date. The Foundation Therapist will be in practice for 5 days a week with a Wednesday study day and another day during the week in a community practice. (It is expected that when the Therapist does not have a study day or community day they are in practice either treating patient’s clinically or doing non clinical work.) 

Training Practice Locations

Training practices for 2023/24 Foundation Year are currently being recruited, however we aim to have practices geographically spread across the London, Kent, Surrey and Sussex.  

Study Day centres 

Our study days will be held at a Central London venue: LonDEC Waterloo. These will be face to face with hands on sessions when applicable. 

Dental Foundation Therapist Salary

The current payments for involvement in the scheme are:  

• Foundation Therapist salary £3200.00 pa. 

• Travel and subsistence for FT attending study days, up to £1000 pa. 
• Educational Grant for training practice: £6000 pa 
• Practice Support £18,500 inc payment for NI contributions and pension contributions for FT. (Please note UDAs generated by the therapist contribute towards practice contract). 

You will have a contract of employment and will be entitled to annual leave, plus bank holidays, pro-rata to the number of days you work in the practice. You may not take holidays that coincide with the study days.  

Completion of programme

Successful completion of Dental Therapy Foundation Training will be based on various aspects that are delivered throughout the year.  

• Professionalism throughout the year.   
• Attendance of ALL the Study Days  
• Completion of the ePortfolio  
• Completion of minimum clinical requirements 

• Audits 
• Medshr Case 
• APLAN Case 
• SCRIPT Modules 
• Mini Case Presentation and Final Case Presentation 

• Trainee, Educational Supervisor and Programme Director reports.  

A certificate will be issued by the Dean on successful completion of Foundation Training.