There was only one dental professional in this year’s Birthday Honours list. An MBE goes to Sue Greening, Clinical Director, Gwent Community Dental Service, Aneurin Bevan Health Board, for services to dentistry in the UK. She is a past president of the BDA and chaired its community dental services committee.
Speaking to the Conference of Local Dental Committees (LDCs) John Milne, chair of the General Dental Practice Committee (GDPC) said that he was optimistic that the new contract now being piloted will work. But he warned that there were still issues to be addressed including funding and delivereing treatment as well as prevention.
The LDC Conference passed an emergency motion following the recent tragic suicide of a Leeds dentist. It supported the BDA’s call for an independent inquiry. Responding in his speech to the conference health minister Earl Howe extended his personal sympathy to the dentist’s family. He said ministers believed there was no place for bullying in the NHS and that the circumstances surrounding this case needed to be investigated.
Speaking at the dinner the night before the LDC Conference, chairman Richard Elvin asked why there had to be so much change in the NHS. He recalled many hours spent in committees, only for the decisions to be over-ridden. ' NHS dentistry should be taken out of politics’, he said.
At the Conference of LDCs, held last Friday in London, Tony Jacobs, the owner of GDPUK, has been installed as chair of the Conference of LDCs for 2013/14.
Jonathan Randall (Herts LDC) was elected to the postion of Chair for 2014/15. Stuart Allan was elected to the Agenda Committee, and Jim Lafferty to GDPC. Tim Harker was re-elected as Treasurer.
The General Dental Council’s (GDC) consultation on Continuing Professional Development (CPD) has highlighted some concerns about the quality of certain CPD on offer to dental professionals. The GDC is responding to concerns about CPD quality by calling on providers and the whole dental CPD industry to robustly quality assure their products and services and to develop industry-led standards.