The General Dental Council (GDC) has published plans for how its approach to regulating dental professionals will be reformed to put public safety firmly at its heart. Proposals outlined at the very end of January 2017 show how the GDC will focus on the prevention of harm. To learn more and respond to this consultation see links end of the article.
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NASDAL (The National Association of Specialist Dental Accountants and Lawyers) has announced the results of its latest goodwill survey and practice valuations continue on their upward trend. Alan Suggett, who complied the survey, said that perhaps the biggest news of the last month was that MyDentist have withdrawn from buying any dental practices.
Capita's performance in processing dental performer list applications for newly qualified dentists has been questioned in both the Commons and Lords. Ministers in both Houses gave similar answers, which gave a little more information, but not much.
The British Dental Association (BDA) has secured a further extension to the grace period for Dental Foundation Training applications to the Performers List following mismanagement by Capita. It is demanding compensation for all practitioners who has lost out as a result of this shambles.
The issue of offering parents the choice of ‘dental milk’ in schools was raised in the House of Lords. Dental milk is semi-skimmed milk to which the dairy has added a small amount of fluoride. It looks, tastes and smells just like ordinary milk.
A new Dean has been appointed at Cardiff School of Dentistry, overseeing all aspects of dental teaching and research. Professor Alastair Sloan will take over from Professor Michael Lewis as Dean and Head of School for the School of Dentistry on August 1, 2017. Professor Sloan joined Cardiff University in 2005 from The University of Birmingham where he was Lecturer in Oral Biology.
Some GPs are drawing up plans to sidestep NHS rules and charge their patients for weekend or evening appointments, it was reported by the magazine Pulse. But this is opposed by the BMA’s GP committee. NHS England was reported as saying: “All patients have a right to access high-quality primary care services which are free at the point of delivery.”
Dental lecturer and histopathologist in Leeds School of Dentistry, Dr Alec High, has been erased from the Dentists Register by the GDC. The FtP panel found that he regularly enjoyed lunchtime sex sessions at his office and had lied to cover up his activities, which the panel found was ‘misleading and dishonest’.
Care home residents should be helped to brush their teeth twice a day, says NICE. A new draft quality standard is out for consultation and advises care home staff to assess the oral health needs of their residents on admission and record these in personal care plans. They should then be supported to clean their teeth twice a day or their dentures daily.
Read more: NICE calls on care homes to prioritise the oral health of residents