Another fiasco forecast for FD training next year

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Published: Wednesday, 31 October 2012 10:55
Written by News Editor
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Another fiasco forecast for FD training next year
The British Dental Association’s (BDA) Judith Husband has called on the Department of Health to act immediately to avert the possibility of UK dentistry graduates being denied foundation training places again in 2013. There have been 1.139 applicants for 952 places, a shortfall of almost 200.

Figures published by the UK Committee of Postgraduate Dental Deans and Directors (COPDEND) last week (26 October 2012) confirm that 1,139 applicants will be competing for the estimated 952 funded training places in NHS practices that will be available. One-thousand-and-twenty-six of the applicants are current students at, or recent graduates from, UK dental schools.

Dr Judith Husband, BDA Chair of Ethics, Education and the Dental Committee, said:

“COPDEND’s announcement raises the spectre of another year of heartbreak for dental students and squandered public money. Denying UK graduates who want to undertake foundation training a place serves the interests of neither patients, taxpayers nor the graduates themselves. The Department of Health must consider this an early warning and act now to ensure that 2013 does not see a repeat of the senseless situation that has been witnessed this year.”

The announcement by COPDEND follows a recent admission by the DH that 35 UK graduates were not allocated DFT places in 2012. That news drew heavy criticism from Dr Husband. The importance of graduates being allocated places was also highlighted in the recently-published YDC Asks mini-manifesto for young dentists and prompted a Government to be founded by BDA Young Dentists Committee Chair Dr Martin Nimmo.

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Carol Ann Garden
Foundation training
I feel sorry for the 35 graduates who did not get placed this year. I have been a trainer in Scotland for many years and successfully recruited a graduate this year - all went well until a month ago when she handed in her notice as her boyfriend got a job in Australia. So I'm now left without a VDP, once again single handed - COPDEND would not circulate my details to the 35 not placed due to "Data Protection". I wonder how many other trainers have had "bad" experiences with training and whether this has led to a reduction in training places. The VDP's get an exit interview but the trainers don't. Maybe the powers that be do not want to know!
Interestingly - the Scottish VT's getan incentive to work in Scotland £6000 in my area - but this vt only had to pay back half of this despite only working 3 months.
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