ON international women’s day, three staff at a Hartlepool dental practice are celebrating promotion.

Leanne Burns, Nicola Hewitson and Marie Taylor have been praised by the Hartlepool and Dental Implant Centres clinical director Dr Caroline Jackson, who said: “Í am well aware that these are difficult times for many in our area and it is so good to share the positivity that news like this can bring. That great feeling that happens when staff can see clear signals of progress – you can almost feel the momentum within the team.’’

“I really believe strongly in supporting my team in reaching their goals and aspirations, providing them with opportunities to further their careers.

“Last year I was able to give our nurses a pay rise, and I hope that by giving Leanne, Nicola and Marie the opportunity to step up within the business, everyone will see that I have complete faith in my whole team. I’m looking forward to growing our practices further and welcoming more people to our team in the future”

Leanne joined the practice in 2000 as a trainee, becoming lead nurse 11 years ago. In September 2019 she was promoted to deputy manager and is rising to the position of practice manager.

Nicola has worked at the practice since 2000 and became lead receptionist four years ago, and now up to deputy manager this week.

Marie joined five years ago as a Dental Nurse and is currently the patient co-ordinator. She will now take on the challenge of being Lead Nurse across the three practices.

Dr Jackson: “This is Leanne’s second promotion in the space of year but I know that she is the right person for the job.

“When I came here in January 2019, I could see straight away that Leanne, who was our lead nurse at the time, was more than capable of progressing her career further.

“Right at the beginning, I asked her to look at our waste management and rather than just coming back to tell me, she presented me with a full audit which resulted in us being able to reduce our dependence on single use plastic and halving our clinical waste.

“Managing three practices is a huge task but I have every confidence that under her leadership our Practices will go from strength to strength.”

She added: “Nicola has fantastic organisational skills.

“She has a calming influence, keeping diaries in order and is our go-to person when it comes to our dental computer system.

“Last year when we were broken into at night, both Leanne and Nicola came out to meet with police.”

Of Marie, she added: “Marie is a vastly experienced nurse and already takes on a lot of responsibilities.

“Her experience and her approachability make her the perfect choice for lead nurse, especially in a practice as big as ours. Marie is a perfectionist and it is about ensuring that high standards are maintained.’’