As the government begins to grapple with the complex issue of NHS contract reform, one of the leading dental indemnity providers, Dental Protection, has issued a ‘shopping list‘ of improvements which it maintains need to be addressed if dentistry is to emerge into the kind of service the dental workforce and patients seek.
No commentsRead more: Dental Protection Publishes 'Shopping List' For The Government
It is barely two months since GDPUK reported on a ‘forgotten‘ piece of GDC commissioned research which had cost registrants nearly £200,000. Its primary purpose appeared to have been to deflect criticism of the GDC‘s lack of improvement in their Fitness to Practice process.
The GDC‘s output of gratuitous research shows no sign of slowing down with their latest publication. It was introduced on their website in these terms: “GDC publishes new research on the public‘s experiences of dentistry.” It raises more questions than it answers.
Read more: Further Expensive GDC Research States the Obvious
NHS contractors have a more complex relationship with their patients than private providers. While their patients may in theory pick and choose who they see, there is hardly an oversupply of NHS dental services. Whether a practice keeps its contract, and use of the familiar blue and white logo, is not in the gift of patients. Irrespective of patient charges or National Insurance payments their ‘buyers‘ are ICB commissioners.
There is some good news and some bad news for dentists providing NHS dental care. The good news first, the Doctors and Dentists Review Body (DDRB) has recommended an uplift intended to deliver a pay increase of 6% to dentists.
A US start-up has announced that an AI-controlled autonomous robot has performed an entire procedure on a human patient for the first time.
Read more: World First as Robot Carries Out Crown Prep on Human Subject