Following an appearance by BDA’s Charlotte Waite before the Public Accounts Committee senior health officials have acknowledged they would be abandoning the ’fines first’ policy when entitlements to free care are in doubt. The failed NHS fines regime that has hit millions of innocent and often vulnerable patients with penalty charges, a point made forcibly to the Committee by Dr Waite.
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Figures publicised by the Scottish Liberal Democrats show that the number of people enduring “agonising waits” of more than 12 weeks for hospital dental treatment in Scotland has soared. Of the 5,064 people on the waiting list at the end of March, 1,139 (22 per cent) had been waiting longer than 12 weeks, according to Scottish parliament data.
Read more: Scotland endures long waits for hospital dental treatment
Only one in six dental practices in Wales are offering treatment to new adult patients on the NHS, according to research by the BDA, which is campaigning for a change in the way dentists are paid. This is causing an "access crisis," they said But The Welsh Government said it was disappointing that BDA Wales had failed to recognise the significant changes they were making as part of “on-going dental contract reforms".
Read more: BDA reveals ‘access crisis’ for NHS patients in Wales
A Westminster Hall debate on NHS pensions was introduced by Sir Robert Syms, Conservative MP for Poole. He said the current policy of reducing tax-free allowances and introducing a taper to the annual amount that can be claimed has devastating implications for the NHS, dental services and many other services in this country unless it is addressed by the Government.
Read more: Iniquities of tax demands on NHS pensions debated by MPs
The BDA has welcomed the removal of wrong-site blocks as a ’never event’. Dentists will no longer have to report giving a local anaesthetic at the wrong site as such. NHS England and NHS Improvement have agreed to this change, which the BDA believes is the correct approach and will put an end to the unnecessary and highly stressful investigations associated with never-events.
Read more: Wrong-site blocks removed from 'never events' list
Dentist Aileen Hopkins has been struck off after one of her three dogs, which she kept at her surgery, bit an inspector’s leg. A GDC report said: ‘Two of the dogs were aggressive and staff told us that they do not like people.” All three were found under the reception desk as officials probed 57 complaints about safety and hygiene at the South Way Surgery in Newhaven, East Sussex.
Read more: Dentist struck off after dog bites inspector’s leg