Milne toughens stance on negotiations
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- Published: Monday, 09 December 2013 10:57
- Written by News Editor
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Speaking at a meeting of LDCs on December 6 John Milne said the contract reforms must deliver improved patient outcomes and fair remuneration, while preserving current benefits for practitioners, allowing the transfer of the value of a practice’s goodwill and ensuring financial stability during the transition period. They must also, he added, ensure that practice ownership remains a sustainable proposition.
At the same time, John stressed, any new system must provide access to quality routine and urgent care, improve oral health, be clear about what the NHS does and doesn’t provide and explain simply what the cost to the patient is. Dr Milne said: “As I have stressed repeatedly this year, the pace of likely change has accelerated and we are nearing the time when we must focus on the detail of what new arrangements must deliver.
“If these reforms are to avoid the pitfalls seen around the changes in 2006, which prompted many dentists to pursue a future away from the NHS and triggered scenes of queues around the block to access dental care, they must work for practitioners and patients. They must ensure that practices are viable and stable, that patients can get the care they need and that we have a strong foundation for our mission to improve England’s oral health.
“GDPC will continue to press hard for the reforms to meet these criteria and Government must continue to engage constructively with the profession as the dialogue enters a more detailed and potentially more difficult phase.”
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