The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has published details of the fees to be paid by different providers from 1 April 2014. There will be no increase for providers of dental services, but there will be different fees for single location dental providers to better distinguish between smaller and larger services.
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A new Employment Allowance, which could reduce practice-owners’ employer Class 1 National Insurance Contributions (NICs) by up to £2k each tax year, is due to be introduced from 6 April 2014. NASDAL member Alan Suggett says guidance on the new Employment Allowance has been published which states that a business that pays employer Class 1 NICs on employees’ or directors’ earnings can claim the allowance. But there are some restrictions, he warns, and a need for clarification.
Read more: Will your dental practice benefit from new employment allowance?
Public Health England (PHE) has published ‘Water fluoridation: health monitoring report for England 2014’. It shows that children in areas of water fluoridation schemes have less tooth decay than those in places without such schemes. Sue Gregory, Director of Dental Public Health at PHE, said: “It is notable that the benefits of this public health measure appear to be greatest for children living in the most deprived areas of the country.”
Read more: Public Health England confirms value of fluoridation
The NHS Dental Statistics for England in the second quarter of 2013-14 show an increase in patients seen of 1.8 million compared with March 2006. There were small increases in the numbers of courses of treatment carried out compared with the previous year.
The charity, during its training programme in Shinyanga region, has reached a milestone. They trained our 300th Health Worker and subsequently created access to emergency dental care for over 3 million people in East Africa. Funds continue to come in for their urgent appeal; they have raised £42,000, close to their target of £50,000.
Dentists across England and Wales are being invited to influence the agenda for debate at the 2014 Annual Conference of Local Dental Committees (LDCs). Dr Tony Jacobs, the Chair of this year’s Conference, said: “I urge practitioners to take this opportunity to help shape the debate that will, in turn, help shape their future.”
Read more: Dentists invited to influence 2014 LDC Conference agenda
For the first time in eight years, the profit level of the average private dental practice is almost the same as the average NHS dental practice, based on the latest benchmarking statistics from the National Association of Specialist Dental Accountants and Lawyers (NASDAL). The average net profit in 2012/13 for a principal of a private practice was £124,086 compared to £125,958 for a principal of an NHS practice.
Dental students at Aberdeen dental school risk failing their final year due to a shortage of patients on whom to practise. The school has twice written to local dentists appealing for them to refer patients to alleviate a potential training crisis. A lack of volunteers is reported to be putting students' degrees at risk.
Dr Mick Armstrong has been elected to serve as new Chair of the British Dental Association’s (BDA’s) Principal Executive Committee (PEC). Dr Armstrong said: “I look forward to leading the profession as it attempts to navigate the minefield of complexity it is confronting.”