With an election around twelve months away, and the polls not looking promising, the government continues to make a variety of policy announcements that it may never need to deliver.
No commentsRead more: Keeping Parliamentary Questions about Dentistry Fresh
Within days of the Labour Party announcement that, should it form a government, children in the most deprived communities would receive supervised toothbrushing sessions in school, the Norfolk and Waveney Integrated Care Board (ICB) has set aside £20,000 to fund school visits by dentists to teach children the basics of good oral health habits.
Read more: Norfolk Dentists To Visit Classrooms As Council Funds Toothbrushes For Children
The GDC’s coyness about its activities is well documented. The Freedom of Information Act was intended to make even the largest organisations answerable to individuals, and has from time to time resulted the public learning about things that various bodies would have preferred to keep under wraps.
Read more: GDC Fails to Answer About Expert Witnesses and FTP Costs
There has been no progress reported on finding a permanent replacement for the Chief Dental Officer (CDO) for England.
The Annual Retention Fee paid by dentists is being CUT by £69 (10%) to £621 for 2024. Dental Care Professionals, which encompases all dental nurses and hygienists, will see their registration fee fall by £18 to £96. This represents a 15.8% drop from the current £114.
Read more: Dentist's Annual Retention Fee to Decrease by £69
With the importance attached to safeguarding, dental teams need to know of a significant update to the available guidance.
Across the UK, NHS dentistry is vanishing, there is a cost of living crunch, and there are service stopping gaps in the dental workforce. If that sounds bleak, it may still miss one of the biggest challenges for those planning dental care in the coming years. A recent report from the University of Colorado provides a timely reminder for those in charge of UK dental public health, that demographic changes are not on their side.
GDPUK has written about the GDC’s project to introduce a new set of standards for registrants. Most recently in GDPUK.com - GDC Working on New Standards for Professionalism we described the first part of one of the series of webinars they are running on the subject.
Read more: New Standards – GDC Panel Looked at Real-Life Example
Ian Brack, Chief Executive and Registrar of the General Dental Council, is to step down. The move will take effect on November 6th.