Trust us Mick Armstrong tells Government
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- Published: Monday, 13 July 2015 07:41
- Written by News Editor
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Dentists must be allowed to get on and do their jobs without the shadow of oppressive regulation and the current culture of fear must be addressed, so that the best patient care can continue to be provided, BDA Chair Mick Armstrong said at the Westminster Health Forum. He told the Government: “Trust us, and accept and recognise, even celebrate, the good work we do.”
In the face of a failing regulatory framework and a difficult economic climate, Mick Armstrong said that dentists must be heard and allowed to assert their professionalism in order to treat their patients and assure continued improvements in the oral health of the nation.
Highlighting high levels of patient satisfaction with dental treatment, the positivity with which patients rate their dental experiences and the high CQC compliance rate, he called on policy makers and government officials in the room to celebrate the profession rather than denigrate it.
He said: “We are working in an uneasy atmosphere of enforced compliance, with limited support, limited understanding and even less empathy. One more akin to a punitive penal code than a healthcare system.”
Citing the culture of fear that many, and, in particular, newly-qualified and younger, dentists feel when faced with the idea of the General Dental Council, Mick Armstrong argued that the current environment does not create confident and positive professionals. He said that many live in fear of being hauled in front of a GDC Fitness to Practise Committee hearing on the basis of flimsy evidence and facing a long wait for a resolution that can wreck both their confidence and career.
He called for a new approach to regulation that is joined up and supports and enables dentists to treat their patients, and not one that stifles and scares. He warned that future improvements in oral health care are not sustainable unless dentists are given the opportunity to get on with their jobs and lamented that – in spite of repeated calls from the BDA – the clarity and honesty on what the NHS will provide has not been forthcoming.
Closing his speech he called on Government to: “Trust us, and accept and recognise, even celebrate, the good work we do….don’t repeatedly attack the dental budget, but invest in it. Make us a valued part of whole person care. Make us positive professionals once again: enable us to do the best for our patients.”
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