Dental teams, to say nothing of the millions of patients locked out of it, must wonder what world government spokespeople, from the PM down, inhabit when challenged about the parlous state of NHS dentistry.
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For many months dental stories in the press have been restricted to the NHS access crisis, with occasional analysis of the UDA contract, the arrival of dental deserts, and frequent references to DIY dentistry. At last, the popular press has found a new dental story.
The full implications of the GDC v Williams case, which led to the recent Appeal Court decision on NHS patient charge top ups, remain uncertain.
At about the same time that David Bottomley was making headlines over a practices refusal to see him due to his weight, the giant global food and drink conglomerate Nestlé, also managed to get a dental story that is not about the NHS, into the papers and social media.
Dentistry has long been recognised as a ‘market leader’ when it comes to the mental health issues affecting those who deliver it.
While registrants have begun to think about the wider ramifications of the Court of Appeal top up decision, it has taken a little while for professional organisations and indemnifiers to comment.