Kat Payne – In the spotlight

How long have you been working at Woodborough House?

Since November 2018. 

I started working full time at Woodborough House five years ago. I had my little girl in October 2020 and after taking my maternity leave, I came back working part time, 2-3 days a week. At the moment I work two days with the clinical team and I work on reception Saturdays.

What is your area of specialism?

I am one of the qualified dental nurses at Woodborough House. I have worked with all the general and specialist dentists. At the moment I work with Luis the orthodontist and Dipesh, one of the implantologists. I prepare patients for sedation and take their x-rays and CT scans. 

As well as having a diploma in Dental Nursing, I am qualified in Dental Radiography and am one of the radiation protection supervisors in the practice. 

What is your background and your journey to where you are now?

I’m originally from Hungary. I went to grammar school, then studied IT in college. 

I always liked languages and wanted to experience living abroad. I wanted to learn English, so I came to England on my own when I was 24. I initially worked as a nanny for three years for the same family looking after three boys which I thoroughly enjoyed.

It was after my time as a nanny that I started working in dentistry. I liked working with people and helping them, and dental nursing was a great opportunity to learn new skills within a caring team-based environment. Dentistry has a fantastic career pathway for dental nurses where you can expand your knowledge and skill-set. 

After qualifying, I worked in a private and specialist practice in Frimley for 10 years. I relocated to the Reading area to move in with my boyfriend (now my husband), and started looking for a job closer to home. I wanted to find a position in a private specialist dental practice that was similar to where I’d worked before in Surrey. I had a few interviews of which resulted in job offers, but I chose Woodborough House. Sarah, the practice owner and principal, was so professional, friendly and down to earth when she interviewed me. 

Woodborough House was the quality practice I was looking for.

What is it about your job that you enjoy the most?

While I love being organised and planning to make sure everything runs smoothly, it is meeting and talking to people, helping others that I value the most. I enjoy the relationships and trust that I build with people over time, that’s both with my patients and work colleges. 

I very much enjoy working with the team at Woodborough House. There’s a really nice atmosphere at work, which is important to me. I am happy to work hard, and go the extra mile, but I need to feel that I’m working in a caring environment where people look out for each other and are kind. That is how it is at Woodborough House. Everyone here is helpful and approachable, whatever their role in the practice.

Where would you like your career to go next?

I see myself staying at Woodborough House for a long time. At present I am studying for my qualification in IV Sedation for dental nurses.

I would like to keep learning and challenging myself, continuing self-improvement is important to me. I’d be interested in doing more treatment coordination when I’m able to work full time again, which will be when my daughter goes to nursery full time next year in 2024.

What is it about the WH culture that you like?

Woodborough House is very much like a family. I love working for a dental practice that is genuinely caring and warm. The values of Woodborough House are the same as mine, which encompass doing the right thing in the right way for our patients. The standards are really very high at Woodborough House. They’ve invested in high quality technology and continuous education of their staff to provide patients with the best care possible.

How would you describe WH in 3 words?

Integrity

Quality

Caring

How do you unwind outside of work?

I love going to see stand up comedy and live music. I don’t get to do that as much since having my daughter, but we still try to go.

Outside of work I spend most of my time with my husband and our little daughter is two and a half. We love going for walks and cooking together. 

What’s your favourite film or book?

My favourite film is ‘Love Actually’. It represents everything that is English, and is such a feel-good movie. It’s very sweet!

I read a lot, I’ve always got a few books on the go. One of my old favourite books is ‘East of Eden’ by John Steinbeck. My most recent favourite book is ‘The 5 second Rule’ by Mel Robbins.

What’s your favourite meal?

I love all food and enjoy cooking. My favourite is Italian or Thai. I went to Italy with my mum a few years ago, and we had such a lovely time. While we were there we ate pasta dishes that I’d never had before, using simple, delicious ingredients. 

If I have Thai food, I love a green curry, if it’s done well. The Thai Corner in Reading or the Giggling Squid in Wokingham are both lovely restaurants. 

What was the last picture you took on your phone?

It’s a photo of our daughter. We had Sunday lunch with our family to celebrate Mother’s Day. We went to The Bull Inn in Sonning with my husband, his brother and their mother, my daughter and I. We had a lovely time.