The National Association of Specialist Dental Accountants and Lawyers (NASDAL) has responded to Chancellor George Osborne’s latest Budget. They say that the package of changes to taxation and pensions are most likely to impact owners of incorporated dental practices as well as top-earning dentists.
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Richard Birkin, national director for BDA Wales, claimed NHS dentists' ability to take on new patients are limited by the ‘target-driven’ contract they have with NHS commissioners. He was responding to a report that just two out of 48 general dental practices in Cardiff are accepting new NHS patients. BDA Wales said the problem lay with capped dental budgets for treatment.
Read more: BDA Wales speaks out on target-driven contracting
The General Dental Council (GDC) is reminding dental care professionals (DCPs) to pay their annual retention fee (ARF) to by 31 July 2015. The ARF is £116 for dental nurses, dental technicians, dental therapists, dental hygienists, clinical dental technicians and orthodontic therapists, a reduction from last year's fee of £120.
Several patients who may have been exposed to HIV and hepatitis are considering legal action against the Sydney (Australia) dentists who performed invasive dental surgery with poorly sterilised equipment. Lawyers have been contacted by several distressed patients after it was revealed over 11,000 people were potentially exposed to blood-borne diseases at clinics in the city.
Read more: Legal action threatened in Australia over poor sterilisation
In the Lords debate on the Queen’s speech, retired dentist, Lord Colwyn said that the dental profession had expressed grave concerns with the GDC. He added that it was disappointing that the Queen’s Speech made no reference to the Law Commission’s recommendations for health regulation—something health regulators and unions are all keen to scrutinise with a move to implementation. He also raised several other matters of concern to the profession.
Kevin Lewis said it was deeply disappointing to see public confidence in their dentists being undermined yet again. He commented: “Nobody would support cases where patients are being deliberately misled, but it is not acceptable to assume that this must be the case, simply because a dental practice – perhaps through the quality and popularity of the service it provides – finds that the demand for its services exceeds its capacity to supply them.”
Read more: Kevin Lewis speaks out on Which? report about access to NHS dentists