Labour’s Shadow Health Secretary, Andy Burnham, has pledged to take tougher action to protect children from commercial pressures and the harm caused by alcohol, sugar and smoke. In a speech launching the new approach, he said: “In a century of rising demand, helping people take more responsibility for their own health will be essential if we are to ensure the NHS remains affordable and sustainable for the future.”
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Dental practices offering both NHS and private treatments have most allure to dental practice purchasers according to the latest goodwill survey from NASDAL for the quarter ending October 31. Alan Suggett, the NASDAL member who carries out the quarterly survey, said that the average goodwill value secured for a practice with an NHS contract was 164% of turnover and for a mixed practice it was 185% of turnover.
Read more: Higher goodwill values for mixed NHS/Private practices
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has updated its advice on dental amalgam outlining its benefits and potential risks. It concludes that dental amalgam fillings safe for adults and children ages 6 and above. It says: ‘The weight of credible scientific evidence reviewed by FDA does not establish an association between dental amalgam use and adverse health effects in the general population.’
The Herald in Scotland reports that Scottish dentists ‘have pocketed nearly £17m in ‘reward’ bonuses from the public purse for carrying out work for the NHS’. It says: ‘Over the last two years dental surgeons have taken home golden hellos and extra ‘seniority’ and ‘commitment’ payments at a time of financial constraints in the public sector.’ BDA’s Graham McKirdy has responded vigourously on behalf of the profession.
Read more: Scottish newspaper runs article critical of dentists’ allowances
Two dentists from Powys Wales, Piotr Dusza and Hako Sobhani, have won their case in the Court of Appeal. They took their local Health Board to judicial review after the latter refused to pay for courses of treatment where no specific mention was made of a clinical examination having been carried out. The dentists won the case, but the Health Board had appealed.
GDPUK believes this case may help other dentists who have similar cases of clawback.
Dentists playing music in their practice must have relevant licences, or risk legal proceedings, despite the 2012 European Court ruling over a dentist in Italy. “Any business that plays recorded music in public is legally required to have relevant licences – and dental practices are no different,” says MDDUS Head of Dental Division Aubrey Craig.