The latest figures from the GDC may offer a glimmer of hope for UK dentistry as it struggles with workforce shortages. Following the latest renewal cycle, the number of Dental Care Professionals (DCP’s) has risen. This is in contrast to recent years where the trend has been one of declining numbers.
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One of the big changes post pandemic has been in the way that MP’s and much of the media reported on dentistry, and in particular dentists. But we may be returning to some finding it easier to blame the dental access crisis on the profession, rather than addressing its actual causes.
Read more: Return of the Greedy Dentist Persona as MP’s Get Desperate
The death of a loved one. Divorce. Moving house. Major illness. Selling your practice. To the list of ‘most stressful events in life’ there’s a not dental professional in the land who wouldn’t add ‘being investigated by the GDC’ to that unwanted roll call.
Read more: DDU Offers Helping Hand To GDC Investigation Victims
A wide survey of 657 colleagues paints a picture of what the UK’s Associate Dentists are seeking when applying for a position as previously reported on GDPUK.
Read more: What Associates Want Part Two: It Depends Where They’re From
Dental workforce problems do not just apply to general practice. At the Office of the Chief Dental Officer (OCDO) the will she, won’t she, departure of CDO Sara Hurley was swiftly followed by the loss of Professor Rebecca Harris, one of the two part time deputies.
Read more: More Changes at the Office of the Chief Dental Officer
A majority of dental associates only want to work part time and for increased remuneration according to a new survey which charts the challenging dynamics of the associate dentist recruitment market.
Read more: What Do Associates Want? Fewer Hours And Higher Pay
Patients logged over 15,000 ‘malpractice’ claims in the year 2020-21 NHS Resolution figures show. As inflation, mortgage rates and rents soar, ‘where there’s blame, there’s a claim’ could become increasingly imbedded in the thinking of a growing number of patients.
Read more: NHS Malpractice Allegations Go Over 15,000 – Can You Avoid One?
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It is a delight to be able to write something positive about the GDC, and recently they demonstrated that they could act quickly, use common sense, and put patients first. In what may become an example of right touch regulation, a potential crisis was averted.
When Faversham Smiles based in Preston Street, Faversham, Kent, announced on its social media that it was accepting 60 new NHS patient enquiries, it was braced for a healthy response. What transpired resembled a tsunami.