DENTAL NEWS ROUNDUP: Jo Churchill’s ‘Modification.’ Welsh SOP’s. Dental Plans Are ‘Overestimated’
- Details
- Published: Tuesday, 27 July 2021 09:32
- Written by Chris Tapper
- Hits: 1743
Jo Churchill has amended her statement on dentists playing merely an ‘ad-hoc’ role in the detection of oral cancer.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social Care caused outrage on social media from dental professionals in June after making what appeared to be an ill-informed statement on the role of dentists in detecting oral cancer.
Ms Churchill was answering a question asked by Peter Dowd, Labour Member of Parliament for Bootle.
Mr Dowd asked the Secretary of State Matt Hancock “Whether his department has plans to increase patients’ understanding of the merits of regular dental check-ups in helping to ensure the early diagnosis of oral cancer.”
Ms Churchill, replying on behalf of Mr Hancock said “No assessment has been made. Whilst dentists can play an ad hoc role in detecting potential oral cancers as a by-product of dental check-ups, oral cancer is primarily detected through the medical system.”
“The Department currently has no plans to promote dentists appointments for the specific purpose of oral cancer diagnosis. Patients with concerns should seek advice from their general practitioner and not wait for their next dental appointment.”
The written answer was modified and published on the UK Parliament website, substituting ‘valuable’ for ‘ad hoc.’
The modified statement now reads “No assessment has been made. Whilst dentists play a valuable role in detecting potential oral cancers through dental check-ups. Patients with concerns should seek advice from their dentist or general practitioner.”
Meanwhile, the Welsh Minister for Health and Social Services, Eluned Morgan, has announced that the principality’s revised dental SOP will be released shortly.
In a letter to the British Dental Association (Wales), the Minister said “While there has been evidence of transmission between staff members in practices, there is no evidence of COVID-19 transmission to or from patients.”
“This is likely to be as a result of the infection control measures we have in place which have ensured patients have received safe dental care throughout the pandemic. It is recognised the infection case rate has declined and is low at the present time.”
“Furthermore, vaccination uptake has been good in Wales and the risks for patients and staff who are vaccinated will be reduced.”
Last week, Chief Dental Officer Sara Hurley released the latest SOP update for England, with no change to fallow times.
Baroness Morgan went on “The Amendments are being made to the latest version of the SOP within the bounds of the IPC and Welsh Government guidance to support use of the low risk pathways during periods of very low transmission.”
The Minister said “The additional funding of £450,000 from the Welsh Government to support improved ventilation in dental practices has been welcomed by the profession and in many cases Health Boards have provided additional match-funding to ensure improvements have been made where needed.”
In contrast to the Welsh Government’s action, Rachael Maskell, Shadow Minister for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport asked the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care “If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing NHS dentists with grants to improve ventilation in NHS dental surgeries.”
Answering on behalf of the Secretary of Health, Jo Churchill said “We are exploring a range of interventions, including ventilation, which could increase National Health Service dental capacity.”
A survey of the public has revealed that 44% of respondents overestimated the monthly cost of dental plans.
Simplyhealth surveyed over 2000 adults about holistic health and their monthly payments.
The company, which owns Denplan, said almost four out of five (79%) adults in the UK has signed up to at least one subscription, spending on average £475 a year.
“Yet, while 96% of people say they are now focused on their holistic health, only 13% reported paying monthly for health benefits that could help them with everyday wellness,” a spokesperson for Simplyhealth said.
“The survey also showed that while 63% believed that they were aware or very aware of the benefits of health and dental plans, 45% overestimated how much dental plans can cost and 84% overestimated how much health plans can cost – some by more than 10 times as much.”
Catherine Rutland, Clinical Director at Simplyhealth, said “COVID-19 has made us reassess many things we previously took for granted, drastically reshaping the agenda around health and wellness. It’s encouraging to see that so many people, particularly those in younger age groups, are remaining focused on their overall health, but it’s surprising that relatively few pay monthly premiums for plans that can help support and maintain this. In fact, in our experience, healthcare plans can really benefit younger, working adults with busy lives who value the convenience and cost certainty they provide.”
“Our survey suggests that there are misunderstandings around healthcare plans, in terms of both costs and benefits. Rather than cover for medical conditions, health plans are designed to provide fast, accessible support for everyday health concerns. Looking after your wellbeing isn’t always easy at the moment, so it’s really important that people are fully aware of the different options open to them and their families, and the benefits these can provide.”
You need to be logged in to leave comments.
Report