Dental team one-to-one agenda: support and clear actions
Use a friendly, practical dental team one-to-one agenda to discuss workload, support and learning, then agree actions both people understand.
Published by Dr Sim Raiyat
Clinical Director, Dentorb — Private General Dentist
A useful one-to-one helps a team member explain what is going well, what is difficult and what support would help. Leave with a small number of clear actions, including actions for the manager. The goal is a better conversation and a better next week.
This on-page agenda suits an ordinary supportive check-in. It is not a substitute for a formal grievance, disciplinary, safeguarding or other process when one is needed.
Prepare a conversation, not a surprise
Share the purpose and invite agenda items. Read the previous actions, especially support you promised. Arrange a sufficiently private setting and enough uninterrupted time for the issues involved.
ACAS recommends regular informal conversations alongside performance reviews. The frequency should suit the role and need; this article does not prescribe a legally required monthly meeting. That ACAS employment guidance concerns Great Britain.
Use this five-part agenda
| Part | Friendly prompt | What to leave with |
|---|---|---|
| Follow-up | “What happened with our last actions?” | Completed, changed or still open |
| Workload | “Which part of the week is hardest?” | A specific problem to examine |
| Support | “What would help you do that work?” | A practical support decision |
| Development | “What would you like to learn or practise?” | A useful learning next step |
| Priorities | “What should we each do before next time?” | Named actions and a review date |
Listen before deciding what the problem is. Ask for an example without encouraging unnecessary disclosure of patient or private staff information. A person may need more time or another setting to raise a sensitive concern.
Turn a concern into an achievable action
Hypothetical example: a receptionist says late enquiries are being missed. The first assumption is that replies are too slow. A closer look shows that the incoming shift cannot see which conversations have an owner.
“Be more proactive” would not fix that. Instead, the manager agrees to check access to the shared queue. The receptionist agrees to test a short end-of-shift handover. Both review missed or duplicated replies at the next meeting. The inbox comparison guide explains the handover controls to examine.
Write each action with four parts: owner, expected result, agreed date and support needed. If a course depends on funding or a rota change, name the person who must resolve that dependency. Do not set a deadline that assumes permission has already been given.
Keep the notes accurate and proportionate
Separate the person's account from your interpretation. “Colleague reported that the handover list is hard to find” is different from “Colleague cannot manage enquiries.” Record relevant disagreement fairly.
Share the notes with the appropriate person and give them a correction route. Acknowledging the record is different from agreeing with every statement; the meeting sign-off guide covers that distinction.
Decide who may access the record and avoid placing private notes in a general team folder. If recording or transcription is proposed, review the arrangement before using it and explain it to the participant. The ICO's data-protection principles apply to the personal information in the record.
Support development without taking over the PDP
A practice can agree useful training, protected time or help with a learning need. A GDC registrant still has their own responsibilities for their personal development plan and CPD record. The GDC explains those records here. The PDP review guide addresses that personal planning process in more detail.
Dentorb's meetings and one-to-ones tools describe summaries, actions and sign-off. Ask to see private access, correction handling and how an action reaches its owner. A polished summary is useful only if it represents the discussion accurately.
Close by reading the actions back
Ask both people to explain what they will do next. Confirm the support and the next review point. If an issue needs another process or responsible person, say so clearly and arrange the appropriate handover.
Before the next conversation: complete or explain your own promised actions. It is easier to ask for accountability when the manager's commitments are visible too.
