Dental nurses could be drafted in to take the pressure off hospital staff in Tyneside in the event of an increase in swine flu cases, according to the NHS. Dr Meng Khaw, director of public health for North Tyneside Primary Care Trust, said the plan would only be implemented if hospitals were under strain and that the dental nurses would not be expected to treat patients. The British Dental Association (BDA) has supported the idea.

Dr Khaw said that he was expecting the number of swine flu cases to increase during autumn. He added that as dental nurses were not qualified to treat medical conditions, they would be asked to do tasks such as taking phone calls, triaging patents, and providing information and signposting patients to other services, for which they would receive specific training.