School of Dental, Health and Care Professions
The School of Dental, Health and Care Professions offers exceptional health, dental and social care education to meet the current and future needs of the health, dental and social care sectors.
Within the school we explore a number of health sciences. We offer comprehensive oral and dental healthcare to the public and alongside this we help to train a larger health and care workforce of paramedics, dental nurses, dental hygienists, dental therapists, adult nurses, mental health nurses, radiographers, physiotherapists and operating department practitioners.
The videos below showcase the two former schools that combined to become SDHCP.
Welcome to the School of Health and Care Professions
Dr Jason Oakley, Head of the School of Health and Care Professions at the University of Portsmouth, describes the variety of courses on offer within the school, as well as the teaching, facilities, technology and placement opportunities available to students.
Dr Jason Oakley: My name is Jason Oakley and I'm the Head of School of the School of Health and Care Professions.
The School of Health and Care Professions is a school that encompasses a really wide range of professions that work both in the health and the social sector. So, for example, we train paramedics, nurses and both in adult mental health. We train radiographers, we have operating department practitioners and we have Physician Associates, as well as social workers. So we really do cover a really wide range of professional groups that will contribute both to health and social care.
A really fundamental part of these courses is the staff on them, in the main, are practitioners themselves. So these are people that have the same qualifications. They've been there, they've worked in the hospitals, and some will still do. They're there to support the students, both in their academic time here at the university, and that will be through pastoral support as well as academic support but also they're there to support them when they go into placement. So the actual staff are a really fundamental part of the experience for our students.
At the University of Portsmouth, we have all the normal facilities you'd expect from a university but we also have some of the most fantastic, what we call, simulation facilities. So these are areas which try to simulate what it will be like when you actually are there in a hospital. So we have ward areas, we have an operating theatre, we have an X-ray room. We have flats where you can just experience what it's like to be in somebody else's home. So we have a really wide range of facilities that allow us to actually give you an experience of what it's like.
But within some of those areas, we actually also have a lot of technology and that technology is there to make it seem very, very real. The training of our students during this time is just so important because they are the workforce of the future. It's about immersing you in all that simulated reality before you actually go out into work with real patients and real service users.
All of our courses will come with placement opportunities. They're absolutely essential. They're how you fill the requirements of the professional regulators but also how you begin to build up your experience, build up your knowledge over the period of your course to be able to give the best care, the best service to the patients and the service users that we work with.
Like most of the staff I'm actually from an NHS background myself and I'm a radiographer by profession. It makes me so proud to be part of the team that are training the workforce of the future. That's our students going through their training and getting ready to go out and become the carers of the future, working in both health and social care. So for me, this is just a fantastic job to do and it's reflected by the fantastic students that we have that then go on to work in these careers.
Welcome to the Dental Academy
Take a tour of our Dental Academy at the University of Portsmouth, where we teach Dental Hygiene, Dental Therapy and Dental Nursing courses
A video showing highlights of studying in the Dental Academy at the University of Portsmouth - using phantom heads and live patient clinics, develop your practice with x-ray machinery, fillings, scaling and impressions. (No dialogue.)
Teaching
Our undergraduate and postgraduate degrees cover all major aspects of healthcare and dentistry, providing an educational platform that bridges the gap between science and application – so our students graduate with the skills required to succeed, and an understanding of how to use them.
We follow the core values of the NHS with an emphasis on practical teaching so our students can start treating patients – under the close supervision of qualified staff – early in their studies. We also support our students through a personal tutor system and on some courses, using an app-based longitudinal assessment method to track students clinical progress and provide continuous feedback.
A number of our courses make our students eligible for registration with other professional bodies – such as the Health and Care Professions and General Dental Council or are endorsed by Skills For Care.
Our teaching areas
From dental nursing courses to radiography and paramedic science degrees. Explore what we have on offer below.
Healthcare and social care courses
The world needs healthcare and social care professionals – and our courses can help start your exciting career in the field.
Dental Academy short courses and CPD
Browse our Portsmouth dentistry short courses and book your place.
Outreach
The Dental Academy delivers outreach activities, including offering free dental health services to the public, during which our dental nurse, dental hygienist and dental therapist students gain valuable professional experience.
Our preventative and educational work in the community also gives students a better understanding of the social impact of good dental care – with our students regularly involved in our schools Brush Up programme and our work with the homeless community.
Research
Our research is focused on delivering evidence-based health care to our patients and the community, on improving the quality of dental education, and in the area of clinical innovation and dental materials.
In our submission to the Research Excellence Framework 2021 (REF 2021), our research achieved notable recognition.
Within Allied Health Professions Dentistry Nursing and Pharmacy, 90% of research was rated as world-leading or internationally excellent in terms of originality, significance and rigour and 100% of the Impact Case Studies were rated as very considerable in terms of their reach and significance.
Partnerships and funding
We've received funding from a number of organisations, including:
- The National Institute for Health Research – the largest national clinical research funder in Europe
- Medical Research Council
- NHS England Workforce, Training and Education
- Health Education England
- Newton Foundation
- Academy of Dental Excellence
- Portsmouth City Council
Our global team of postgraduate researchers, research associates and research clinicians are working on various domains within healthcare and dentistry, some of which can be explored below.
Our areas of expertise
Dental public health
We undertake research relating to promoting health, preventing disease and how to facilitate access to high quality dental care for all.
Dental education
We're focusing on the development and evaluation of education for the dental team, and working to develop new operative and learning tools for dentistry.
Clinical innovation
We're conducting studies that consider and test advanced clinical and diagnostic techniques, efficient models of clinical care, and novel clinical materials.
Our research groups
Much of our exceptional research takes place within the following research group – find out more below.
Global Health, Population and Policy Research Group
We're carrying out research that promotes population health while achieving health related Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
Our research projects
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Pilot HEYA oral health programme
A pilot programme for children, which focused on improving tooth brushing skills, increasing the number of children using fluoride toothpaste in the Early Years setting (in addition to tooth brushing at home), raising awareness of good oral health practice with parents/carers and children, and improving sign-posting to dental services.
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Developing an oral health promotional video for deprived families in Portsmouth
A programme aimed at improving the dental and oral health of deprived families, in partnership with Portsmouth City Council.
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A pilot study with dental professionals, led by Dr Kristina Wanyonyi.
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A project, led by Dr Kristina Wanyonyi, funded by Solent NHS Trust.
Facilities
Our facilities train students in a variety of clinical environments, allowing them to hone their skills.
Our dental facilities train students in practice teams using modern clinical facilities that replicate those found in real NHS dental practices. Students can access live teaching clinics that have treatment bays replicating the set-up of a dental surgery and can work together in small teams.
At Portsmouth, we have a Dental Academy that offers a number of patients services.
Please visit our page on the NHS website to find out if we're currently accepting patients.
Within our healthcare facilities, students can use our Centre for Simulation in Health and Care facility to develop their diagnostic, clinical assessment, clinical decision-making and leadership skills through practical experience and guidance.
Our staff
Explore our faculty
Explore the other Schools and Departments that make up our Faculty of Science and Health.
School of Psychology, Sport and Health Sciences
Discover the School of Psychology, Sport and Health Sciences, where we're exploring health and exercise science, sport science, and the impact of psychology.
School of Medicine, Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences
Through our teaching and research, the School of Medicine, Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences strives to find new ways to help those with debilitating illnesses and diseases.
Faculty of Science and Health
Explore the Faculty of Science and Health at the University of Portsmouth, and learn more about the teaching and research activities that take place within the Faculty's different departments and schools.
Contact us
To get in touch, please contact our Faculty office.
