Mick Armstrong: ‘We Are Dentistry’
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- Published: Friday, 26 May 2017 09:19
- Written by News Editor
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In his keynote address to the British Dental Conference and Exhibition BDA Chair Mick Armstrong called on members of the profession to take pride in their achievements and set out their remarkable contribution to UK healthcare. He said: “Dentists are changing lives and improving health, because it's what we do, and no one else is doing it for us.”
In a video showcasing just some of the roles played by the profession, the BDA Chair launched the We Are Dentistry campaign, calling on colleagues to share their stories, and show the difference dentists are making in their communities.
Following another year of glowing reports from inspectors and research showing satisfaction in dental services at a nearly two decade high, he commended the profession for setting such high standards in patient care in the face of widespread government indifference. The BDA has been pressing all political parties to help unlock the untapped potential of the profession, and is reaching out to all its members and asking them to tell their stories.
Speaking to conference BDA Chair Mick Armstrong said: "This last year has demonstrated that as a profession we must define ourselves clearly. When others would cast us as tax collectors, border guards, mechanics or shopkeepers, it falls to us, the clinicians, to show what matters, and that our patients come first.
"We are a profession succeeding in spite of everything, in the absence of strategy or priority from government, beset by failed contracts, red tape and overregulation. Ours is a story of over 40,000 men and women doing exceptional things every day, in patient care and in cutting edge research, from community clinics to Harley Street; highly trained professionals juggling multiple roles.
"So we are posing colleagues a simple question: What is a dentist? The answer is so much more than a practising certificate, a number on the GDC register, or an allotment of UDAs on a government database. Your answers will help us celebrate the teachers, the entrepreneurs and the innovators, the researchers, the leaders and the problem solvers who make up this profession.
"Dentists are changing lives and improving health, because it's what we do, and no one else is doing it for us. Every day we hear about colleagues going the extra mile, often unnoticed and unsung. They aren't superhuman, they are dentists doing their job to the very best of their ability. So if you have just 5 minutes, tell us about your contribution.
"As your professional association, we want to share these achievements. As clinicians, doing what we do best. Because we are dentistry."
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