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Published: Sunday, 29 March 2020 06:23

Written by News Editor

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The CDO (England) is calling for volunteers in the dental workforce to be redeployed to areas of need within the wider NHS, based on the competencies of each team member. The BDA has been engaged in talks on the provision of PPE and the Chancellor has announced a scheme to help the self-employed, but not for those earning over £50K a year.

Dentists in England to be redeployed

The BDA reports[i] that the Chief Dental Officer (England) and NHS England are producing a framework for the voluntary redeployment of the dental workforce to areas of need within the wider NHS, based on the competencies of each team member. Any dental team member wishing to work in the wider NHS can register their interest via the survey link on the NHS England & NHS Improvement website.

In a report from BBC News[ii] the CDO said the volunteers would be asked to help at hospitals being built to boost critical care and other parts of the NHS. The letter, from Sara Hurley, said the NHS contracts were being renegotiated to:

• maintain cash flow
• provide emergency dental services during the outbreak
• free up staff to fight the virus

The new contracts would "actively enable staff time that is no longer required for routine dental activity to be diverted to support service areas with additional activity pressures due to Covid-19", it said. "As part of the funding support, the NHS expects that dental practices will fully support the redeployment of professionals and staff working in dental services to support the wider NHS.

"In particular, we ask staff contact details are made available immediately and for practices to actively support any national or local calls for help. This will include helping to staff the new Nightingale Hospital that is being established in London and other similar facilities that may be established over the coming weeks."

But the British Dental Association said it should be on a voluntary basis only and it called for protections for any staff at higher risk. BDA chair, Mick Armstrong added: "The profession stands ready and willing to support the national effort to fight this pandemic with any workable emergency plan. But by asking practices to choose between the NHS and other government support, it is inevitable many will fall through the gap. We urgently need government to offer flexibility over the issue."

Personal Protective Equipment

The BDA also reports that they have been engaging with NHS England and Public Health England on the current advice in relation to personal protective equipment and the procurement arrangements for PPE. There has been ongoing confusion around varying interpretations of advice around the situations in which higher end PPE should be used. They understand that PHE are looking to update their advice (applying to all UK nations) and that this is likely to be a place-based approach to protective equipment.

Chancellor outlines plans to support the self-employed

The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, has announced[iii] the next economic steps to help the self-employed, but they only apply to those with a net taxable income of under £50,000.

The Government will pay self-employed people, who have been adversely affected by the Coronavirus, a taxable grant worth 80% of their average monthly profits over the last three years, up to £2,500 a month.

But the scheme only provides support for anyone with income up to £50,000, only available to people who make the majority of their income from self-employment and only those who are already in self-employment, who have a tax return for 2019, will be able to apply.

But the BDA, in a press release[iv], said that means-testing of support for the self-employed during the epidemic would have a ‘potentially catastrophic impact on large parts of the dental workforce, particularly those providing private care’. Chair of the BDA’s General Dental Practice Committee Dave Cottam said: “Many self-employed dentists working in largely or exclusively private practice have seen their incomes fall to zero. Failure to offer them a safety net will not only hit highly skilled individuals, but will have a devastating impact on the essential services they provide. When NHS dentistry is already stretched to breaking point, letting private practices go to the wall would be criminally irresponsible.”

[i] https://bda.org/advice/Coronavirus/Pages/latest-updates.aspx

[ii] https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-52050506

[iii] https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/chancellor-outlines-new-coronavirus-support-measures-for-the-self-employed

[iv] https://bda.org/news-centre/press-releases/Pages/Dentists-warn-failure-to-support-self-employed-may-have-devastating-impact-on-service.aspx

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