Successful DFT WERO incentive strengthens dental care in rural Wales

Published: 14/05/2025

The recruitment initiative aimed at encouraging dental trainees to take up opportunities across rural Wales has been successful for a third year!

Most new dental graduates choose to complete their Dental Foundation Training (DFT) year in a general dental practice in more urban areas, leaving some training practices in rural parts of Wales under resourced with empty training positions.

In 2019/20, 6% of rural DFT vacancies went unfilled, which meant that support packages were put in place for these training practices who were not allocated a trainee, and access to NHS dental care in these local communities was therefore reduced.

As a solution, HEIW launched DFT WERO (Welsh Enhanced Recruitment Offer) in 2023. This was a new initiative to encourage trainees to complete their training in a rural practice and increase dental services for people in the area. The initiative offers local recruitment and an enhanced support package for trainees who carry out their DFT year in specific rural dental practices in West, North and Central Wales. In 2023 this was piloted with 10 places and following a successful pilot the offer was increased for 2024 to 15 places that were all filled.

The DFT WERO offer returned this year with 15 posts being offered and filled with trainees taking up their places in September 2025.

William Howell, practice owner at Cardigan Dental Practice which offers a dental training place, added “Cardigan offers so much from a thriving town centre to its beautiful beaches and countryside. Our new dental practice has state-of-the-art facilities, experienced staff who are passionate about teaching and potential employment opportunities once the training has been completed. We will do everything to make trainees feel welcome and I’m sure they’ll end up falling in love with the area just like we have.”

The feedback from trainees has been overwhelmingly positive. In the 2023/24 cohort, 100% of trainees rated their placements positively, with 80% giving a perfect 5/5 rating. Additionally, 90% of trainees chose to remain in Wales after their DFT year, evidencing the long-term impact of the scheme in building a sustainable workforce. Feedback from the trainees shows they also value these rural placements, finding them beneficial for their clinical and professional development.

• “I applied to the DFT WERO scheme because one of my Liverpool tutors recommended it to me. I'm so thankful I did because I've learned so much… I've gained lots of clinical experience and become a more skilled practitioner. We've taken on more difficult cases, such as complex endodontics or surgical extractions, because secondary care isn’t as accessible in rural areas.”
• "A brilliant and friendly team. The practice was modern, well-equipped, and if I needed anything different, they were more than happy to order it in. My Educational Supervisor was fantastic, always on hand to answer any questions and tailor tutorials to suit my needs."
• “A great team to work with and extremely supportive! I've been given lots of training, freedom to learn, and the chance to build confidence in treating patients.”

Kirstie Moons, HEIW’s Dental Postgraduate Dean said “I am delighted that HEIW has been able to offer local incentives to grow and retain our dentist workforce in traditionally hard to recruit areas in Wales. This initiative was approved by Welsh Government and helps in providing continued NHS dental care to people in rural areas. It will also safeguard Dental Foundation Training places in these dental practices for newly qualified dentists to apply to in future years.”