Cabinet Reshuffle – Will It Delay Contract Reform?
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- Published: Monday, 20 September 2021 07:36
- Written by Chris Tapper
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It was nearly all-change at the Department of Health following the Prime Minister’s recent Cabinet reshuffle.
While Secretary of State Sajid Javid stayed in post, Jo Churchill was removed as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social Care and moved to become the Under-Secretary at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA).
Ms Churchill had been in her health post since July 2019. Her replacement will be Maggie Throup, MP for Erewash.
Ms Throup has a background in biology and has worked at the Calderdale health authority as a biomedical scientist.
The BDA News website said “Her predecessor, Jo Churchill MP…together with NHS England and the Chief Dental Officer committed to reforming the discredited NHS dental contract by April 2022.”
The sideways move of Ms Churchill provoked some fears on social media that her departure might delay contract reform.
Dental commentator Michael Watson, former Editor of BDA News, was fearful for the fate of the highly anticipated new GDS contract.
He told GDPUK “So often in the past we have seen reform delayed by a change in Minister or Government. It takes 12 to 18 months for a new Minister to master their brief. The profession’s hopes for contract reform by April next year looked doomed.”
The British Dental Association’s Chief Executive Martin Woodrow thanked Ms Churchill on Twitter “For the genuine interest in dentistry as health minister.”
Mr Woodrow added that the BDA was looking forward to working with Ms Throup.
Chair of the BDA General Dental Practice Committee pointed out the urgency of the need to reform the GDS.
Congratulations on your appointment @maggie_erewash Looking forward to engaging with you and discussing the vital NHS Dental reforms that are urgently required. @TheBDA
— Shawn Charlwood (@ShawnC_GDPC) September 16, 2021
BDA Chair Dr Eddie Crouch also welcomed the new appointee on Twitter, but indicated that the Minister faced a sizeable task.
Dr Crouch wrote “Congratulations on your appointment and look forward to meeting as soon as you are able, to discuss the many issues facing dentistry for the profession and patients.”
Dr Dave Cottam, former Chair of the BDA General Dental Practice Committee warned the new Minister “Good luck in your new responsibility looking after dentistry - please engage with the BDA as soon as possible in what is a critical time for NHS provision - no change is not an option.”
Dr Sarah Canavan echoed Dr Cottom’s remarks and said “Please don’t forget us. The dental health of the population is just as important as general health but unfortunately the people in power often forget this. Please help us help our colleagues and our patients.”
Maggie Throup was first elected to Parliament in 2015 and in the Commons, “Has concerned herself with health policy on issues such as obesity, lung disease and antibiotic use,” according to The Times.
The new Minister will also be responsible for vaccine deployment, taking the role previously held by Nadhim Zahawi, who has won promotion to the Cabinet as Secretary of State for Education.
Not much appears to be known about Ms Throup and her views on dentistry, although she did contribute to the Parliamentary debate on Children’s Oral Health, in 2017.
She said “It is well recognised and accepted that the amount of sugar that children eat has an impact on both oral health and obesity rates, and that there is a link between poor oral health and some of the most deprived parts of the country.”
“Poor oral health and obesity are both issues of health inequality. Tooth decay and obesity also represent major public health issues. If we put measures in place to tackle one, we will tackle the other at the same time.”
In the 2017 debate she called on the then Health Secretary “To work with retailers to limit price promotions on high-sugar food and drinks and to encourage the removal of those products from the point of sale.”
She concluded “Let us really show that we care about both the dental health and the general health of our future generations, and take action now.”
Jo Churchill won praise in May when she said during a Westminster Hall debate on Oral health and dentistry in England that the “UDA system brought in by the Labour government in 2006 is broken, we understand that it’s broken, but these things take more than a month to put in place.”
Ms Churchill won approval from dentist Sir Paul Beresford, MP for Mole Valley. He said that NHS dentistry was currently “Not all negativity.”
Sir Paul praised Jo Churchill and the Chief Dental Officer for England Sara Hurley for changing the attitude from previous Governments under which dentistry was a “Cinderella service.”
He said “Both of these ladies recognise the importance of improving the oral health of the nation and the status of dentistry as a health service.”
A month later, however, Ms Churchill drew wide criticism on social media from dental professionals after making what appeared to be an ill-informed statement on the role of dentists in detecting oral cancer.
The Minister was answering a question asked by Peter Dowd, Labour MP for Bootle.
Mr Dowd asked the then-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 replied on behalf of Mr Hancock.
She 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.”
A month later, her written answer was modified and published on the UK Parliament website, substituting ‘valuable’ for ‘ad hoc.’
The modified statement read “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.”
In Boris Johnson’s reshuffle, Lewes MP Maria Caulfield was also appointed as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State. Ms Caulfield is a former nurse who later specialised in cancer research.
Meanwhile, The Telegraph reported that Lord Bethell of Romford, who was appointed as a Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department of Health in March 2020, had been “Sacked after becoming embroiled in a number of controversies in recent months.”
Lord Bethell, is described as a close ally of former Health Secretary Matt Hancock. Both had faced claims that they had used their private email accounts during the pandemic to discuss Government business, including potential coronavirus contracts.
The Telegraph said “Downing Street has previously acknowledged Lord Bethell was using a private email address, but suggested that was allowed within the rules, while the peer has insisted he has done nothing wrong.”
“However, last month it was confirmed that an inquiry into the use of private communications by ministers and officials at the Department of Health would also cover their use of phone messaging apps.”
The Guardian said “The hereditary peer and nightclub entrepreneur was placed under investigation by the House of Lords standards committee in July after it emerged that he sponsored a parliamentary pass for the former health secretary’s lover, Gina Coladangelo.”
Photo credits:
By Richard Townshend - https://members-api.parliament.uk/api/Members/4380/Portrait?cropType=ThreeFourGallery: https://members.parliament.uk/member/4380/portrait, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=86629777
By Chris McAndrew, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=61322689
By Richard Townshend - https://members-api.parliament.uk/api/Members/4380/Portrait?cropType=ThreeFourGallery: https://members.parliament.uk/member/4380/portrait, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=86629777
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