Daily Telegraph publishes ‘Big Lie’ letter
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- Published: Thursday, 02 January 2014 07:23
- Written by News Editor
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Tony Kilcoyne’s ‘Big Lie’ letter has been published in the Daily Telegraph, together with an article in its News section, headlined: 'NHS provision on the brink of crisis, ministers are told'. In a response Barry Cockcroft CDO NHS England is quoted as saying that "there is no credible evidence to support the suggestion that there is a 'growing disaster' in NHS dentistry."
The article highlights the letter’s assertion that NHS dentistry is ‘unfit for purpose’, because successive governments have ‘shown an obsession with centralised targets and professionals are not being allowed to spend enough time with patients. The newspaper also notes that more than 100 ‘family dentists’ have signed the letter, which accuses ministers of hiding the ‘rotten truth’ about the ‘compromised and mismanaged’ system of state-funded dental treatment in England.
Dr Anthony Kilcoyne who organised the letter is quoted as saying that his colleagues felt ‘massive frustration’ at the pressure put on them to see patients as quickly as possible. He says: ‘I know dentists to whom the NHS is saying: “we are going to reduce your funding because you are spending too much time with patients and doing a good job.”
Barry Cockcroft responds by saying that access to NHS dentistry had increased by over 1.2 million since 2010. He added: “The improvement in oral health in this country over the last 30 years is something that the dental profession and the NHS should rightly be proud that it has played a part in. There is no credible evidence to support the suggestion that there is a ‘growing disaster’ in NHS dentistry.”
The letter can be read at http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/letters/10546044/The-public-should-know-of-the-dangerous-decay-of-NHS-dentistry-in-England.html
News article http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/10545878/NHS-dentistry-is-unfit-for-purpose-professionals-warn.html
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I fully support Tony Kilcoyne's attempt to expose the situation in NHS Dentistry. After 30 years in a stable mixed practice, I've had the opportunity to work in 5 different NHS practices in the last 5 years. There have been huge variations. I've also worked with a number of younger colleagues, and Foundation year dentists, both UK and overseas trained. It's rather sad that the Steele initiatives look like being so ineffective. Tweaking is NOT what is needed to make any significant difference to the basic and cataclysmic flaws in the system. There are two main types of NHS practices. Long established well run stable practices with well controlled patient bases. These are generally very satisfactory with contracts very easy to satisfy and very comfortable principals and associates. Then there is the real front line. Practices in low socio economic areas with a much higher proportion of high/very high needs patients. They often have a high turn over in professional staff. Almost all the younger dentists feel embattled and in serious danger of being de-skilled. The CDO's comment about the last 30 years is a total irrelevance. It's the bomb of the last 7 years since 2006 that is exploding. There is no evidence because no one is looking for it. The CQC looks at bits of paper, not patients with high caries rates who find it impossible to get treatment. Even academia is now focussed on supporting this new age dentistry where caries is fully reversible. Well genetic engineering and stem cell work may make that a reality but it definitely isn't here yet. In 2008 a survey of dentists organised by Challenge via this website showed that 95% of dentists felt the 2006 contract was harmful for patients. Nothing, has or will change via implementation of the Steele report pilots. Old fee per item was open to abuse but the abuses were infinitesimal by comparison with those since. In each of the three years prior to 2006 total spending on the GDS was below budget !!! Now we spend a similar amount with infinitely worse outcomes, more caries, more extractions, more dentures. Its not a totally one sided story, but I've never spoken to a single NHS dentist who believes the system now encourages prevention. All younger colleagues agree with the proposition that the current arrangements are excellent for patients who don't really need a dentist and hopeless for those who desperately do. We are all complicit in a National Disgrace and Dental Health in the populace who can't/won't access non GDS care is plummeting.Disappointing the English Dental DH still seem stu
....Dentistry is high-tech, micro-surgery that cannot be rushed without quickly compromising care - of course the workers do their best in such limited systems, but that is not the same as saying it's the best one can do on a NATIONAL scale.What's bad for dentists and their teams, is bad for patients and the general public too.
We hope the public will support our raising such concerns in the public interest and not be fooled by the Spin and Excuses for any centralised neglect; they must improve PUBLIC HONESTY first, to then allow improving PUBLIC systems without further delays.
I hope Dental professionals will feel more enabled to share these concerns DIRECTLY with their patients too, if only to ensure fully informed consent!
Yours still deeply concerned,
Anthony Kilcoyne
Dentist and Specialist in Prosthodontics.
Disappointing the English Dental DH still seem stu
Well I think we can ALL agree BAD systems are BAD for patients.When you put good people into bad systems, you still get bad results and a very stressed workforce too, trying their best but stuck in a compromised system imposed from above :(
Too many Targets, Bureaucracy and foolish experimenting based upon very flawed data being 'Spun' to the public in a way that is, how can I put this nicely, being very economic with the whole Truth.
Like an Alcoholic, they have to be totally honest publicly and admit they have a serious problem, before they can start some serious solutions to truly change for the better.
Until then, we seem stuck with the 'Department of Excuses' and Spin, who talk about an extra 1.2million people access, as if that was a good thing, when they need to ask Access to What, less time per patient, being rushed through an already inadequate system so more people get more compromise to make pure 'numbers' statistics look better for Politicians ???
( continued.....)
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