The National Occupational Standards (NOS) for Dental Nursing and Dental Technology are being reviewed and are available for consultation until 16 March 2012.

These NOS are being reviewed alongside the General Dental Council (GDC) review of the learning outcomes required for registration for dental nurses and dental technicians. The review of the NOS is necessary to ensure that they are fit for purpose for use within qualifications that may lead to registration with the GDC.

NOS are divided into sections and define what a competent person should know and be able to do when they carry out a particular work activity. They are used to underpin future learning and development including qualifications development and a range of workforce development activities. The statements within a NOS should be broad enough to apply across the UK and within every setting that the function is performed.

The consultation invites comments on each section of any NOS that is relevant to your work, keeping in mind whether it would apply to all dental nurses/technicians; whether all of the knowledge contained within each NOS is essential for carrying out this function; whether the performance criteria are correct; and whether anything is missing from any section.

Visit the Skills for Health website at www.skillsforhealth.org.uk.