Following the recent Cabinet re-shuffle, Health Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, has rearranged ministerial responsibilities in the Department of Health. Under Secretary David Mowat includes all elements of primary care – including dentistry and pharmacy in his portfolio and Nicola Blackwood will be responsible for Dental Public Health.
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The annual survey of dental patients showed that 95% of people who tried to make an appointment for NHS dentistry were successful and 85% rated their experience as positive. Of the two fifths of respondents who had not tried to make an appointentt 38% mentioned private dentistry as the reason for not trying to get an NHS appointment; and 22% said they had “not needed to visit the dentist”.
Read more: Almost all people (95%) who try can make NHS dental appointment
The Faculty of General Dental Practice (UK) has expressed its support for a new standards document on cancer referrals from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). Dr Mick Horton, Dean of the Faculty, said: “The NHS’s ‘Patient information for urgent referrals’ leaflet is an excellent one-page resource aimed at patients who are being urgently referred by a GP or dentist for suspected cancer.”
Read more: FGDP(UK) supports push for faster cancer diagnosis
Birkenhead MP Frank Field has called for urgent Government action to tackle what he calls the rising tide of children going to hospital for tooth extractions and 'shocking inequalities' in oral health. He said: “He said: "None of us should be content knowing that children are four times more likely to suffer from tooth decay just because they happened to be born in Birkenhead and not in the Health Secretary's constituency (West Surrey)”.
Children in North Manchester are facing waits of up to a year for tooth extractions, because of a severe shortage of children’s nurses. Pennine Acute hospital trust, which covers one of the worst areas in the country for child tooth decay, has a backlog of at least 300 cases. Local dentists say that they have been asked not to add any more children to the waiting list.
Read more: Long waits for GA blamed on shortage of children’s nurses
Dentists attending the Local Dental Committees’ annual conference in Manchester (9-10 June) will call on the government to get to grips with its failure to stem the crisis in child tooth decay, as new figures show that in 2014–15 over 179,00 teeth were removed in children aged nine and under in dental practices across England. Although the Department of Health has recently announced details of 10 pilot preventive programmes in England, the BDA is concerned that there is no dedicated funding.
Read more: BDA calls on Government to tackle child tooth decay crisis
As part of Prime Minister Theresa May’s reshuffle three ministers have left the Department of Health, Alistair Burt MP responsible for GDS dentistry to backbenches, Jane Ellison MP (Public Health) to the Treasury and Ben Gummer MP (GDC) to the Cabinet Office. Philip Dunne (MP for Ludlow), Nicola Blackwood (MP for Oxford West and Abingdon) and David Mowat (MP for Warrington South) join the Department.
The fight against child obesity has been left in the hands of food companies in a watering down of ministers’ promises after lobbying by the industry, according to a report in The Times, which claims to have seen a draft of the strategy. Manufacturers will not be forced to make products healthier and no concrete measures to curb marketing of unhealthy products have been included.
The average goodwill valuation for practices saw another leap to 124% of goodwill. This is up almost 13% compared with the autumn of 2015 and 12% up on the summer of 2014. NHS practices are attracting an average valuation of 142% of goodwill with mixed practices perceived as even more valuable at 155% of goodwill.