“If Pigs Learn To Fly” – Social Media’s Reaction To The New NHS Targets
- Details
- Published: Thursday, 23 December 2021 07:38
- Written by Chris Tapper
- Hits: 4441
There has been widespread condemnation of the new NHS targets imposed on general dental practices by the Government, announced yesterday.
There was an ominous warning that bad news was afoot when early yesterday, Dr Sara Hurley the Chief Dental Officer For England dropped an email to dentists saying in her opening “As we go into 2022, it is clear that more action must be taken to increase access and dental activity for our patients. We must now proceed to set thresholds which maximise safe patient activity and access.”
A few paragraphs down, the body blow was dealt to the NHS General Dental Service with the words “Practices should plan on the basis that NHS income protection will come to an end in April 2022 and we will revert to usual contract management arrangements.”
Presumably, the Government knows everything will be back to normality COVID-wise, by the Spring.
But HM Government was giving dentists a little bit of leeway by easing the profession into the new year by stating “Between January and March 2022 clawback will not be applied to practices delivering at least 85% of contracted UDAs, reflecting the level many practices have already been delivering before the IPC changes and giving practices some contractual flexibility as they adjust to new IPC guidance. There will be no lower threshold in Q4, so that for delivery below 85% normal clawback will apply.”
Orthodontists fared slightly worse than GDP’s with them having to deliver 90% of their contracts in the last quarter of the financial year.
The British Dental Association was crystal clear about its view of the announcement. On the BDA News website, the BDA said “We have condemned the government’s decision to impose unrealistic activity targets on NHS England dentists during the Omicron wave.”
On the ground, dentists were saying openly on social media, that they would be seriously considering relinquishing their NHS contracts.
Chief Medical Strategy Officer and health commentator Dr Sam Shah was explicitly cynical of the Government’s reasoning for the upped targets.
He said on Twitter “For anyone looking for ideas on how to privatise healthcare, this is the latest ‘playbook’ from NHS England” – “Set unrealistic and unsustainable targets for services which are already short on workforce where COVID-19 has caused mass disruption…”
Experienced dental hygienist Gill Cliffe expressed her frustration simply…
— Gill (@GillCliffe) December 22, 2021
Also on Twitter @DentistGoneBadd went darker. He said “In dentistry, the Government strategy - both Labour and Tory, was to remove NHS dentistry by stealth. NO Government would ever be brave enough to say “We can’t afford it” so as Sam (Shah) says, making it impossible to work in, will hopefully drive practitioners out. UDAs failed, so far.”
Last night, Ollie Jupes (DentistGoneBadd) told GDPUK “In the mid-2000’s, I attended a CPD lecture given by a distinguished professor of restorative dentistry, a prominent spokesperson in the profession.”
At the time, the current UDA-based contract was being finalised. As an aside, he told the audience that he had been present at a recent meeting with Government and NHS officials. During a refreshment break in the proceedings, the Professor overheard a Health Minister telling another official ‘This time, we’re going to get the dentists.’”
“And I think this is exactly what the Government did.”
“This new target and early resumption to ‘normal working’ is the latest attempt to drive us all out. It’s another attempt to label any practitioners who can’t make NHS dentistry viable as “Greedy dentists.”
Another general dental practitioner wrote on Twitter “Will be discussing handing back contracts with the boss tonight!”
A GDP responded “After the 3 month notice is completed you will feel like a new human.”
Pointing out the difficulties in achieving the new targets and the resumption of pre-COVID contract levels, Sam Shah said “We should ask the Sooty & Sweep show otherwise known as OCDO where they will magic up this workforce from.”
“They clearly have not got a clue. This WILL put pressure on secondary care. Referrals will go up.”
Some practitioners were very brief, yet clear on their view on the target announcement.
NHS dentist @Proactivecook said simply “Insane.”
On another social media platform, one dentist pointed out that with the Omicron variant, staff shortages caused directly by COVID as well as patient cancellations, the target was ‘absurd.’
The dentist said the new targets showed “Complete contempt for a profession which has worked hard during the pandemic to achieve higher than expected levels of care.”
Another dentist went further, announcing that had already given his notice regarding his NHS contract.
The practitioner said he had been working in the GDS for over a decade but from April would be ‘Fully private.”
Community dental therapist Clare Burton said of the new targets on Twitter “AKA - Abandon all fallow and FFP3. Throw staff under the bus as we have had underfunded dentistry for years.”
One dental professional summed up the devastating day’s news on Twitter, with in insightful degree of optimism and searing sarcasm.
She said “I think 85% is just about doable IF - we’re happy to follow the new SOPs - all staff escape COVID - no annual leave taken - we don’t follow the veiled instruction to prioritise irregular, neglectful patients over the stable, motivated patients - pigs learn to fly.”
You need to be logged in to leave comments.
Report