Neil O’Brien is the Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Health and Social Care, who seems to have been given the dental brief. His one man mission to make predecessor Maria Caulfield look a model of honesty and competence, shows no sign of abating.
No commentsRead more: Minister Brushes Aside Recruitment Issues - BUPA Action Contradicts
The former Chancellor of the Exchequer, Nigel Lawson, famously said that "the NHS is the closest thing the English have to a religion" and when it comes to support for the NHS as an institution, public approval remains rock solid with over 90% of us confirming the importance we attach to the NHS being ’free at the point of use’ and over 80% agreeing that the NHS should be ’taxpayer funded and available to all’ (something NHS dentistry can scarcely claim).
The adoption of SNOMED Clinical Terms (SNOMED) in UK dentistry has not run a smooth course. It may have been out of the dental headlines for a while, but the many dental teams who had hoped that it had been quietly abandoned will be alarmed by a new announcement.
A Westminster Council plaque commemorating the site of the the former Royal Dental Hospital, at 32 Leicester Square in the West End, was unveiled on Wednesday 29th March 2023.
Read more: Royal Dental Hospital, London, Gets Commemoration Plaque
The annual NASDAL benchmarking report is often held up as a health check on the profession’s financial well-being, and at first sight the latest report looks promising. But there are suggestions that the headline figures may not tell whole story. Despite this their latest figures were quoted by the Chief Dental Officer for England, Sara Hurley, in her presentation at the recent BDIA showcase.
Read more: “Not the whole story” - Survey Shows Rise in Dental Earnings
The BDA and BUPA colleagues have now confirmed the rumour which had recently begun circulating, that BUPA are planning to dispose of 85 of their dental practices.
As March draws to a close it is time for the last minute announcement of an increase in NHS patient charges. The NHS has a tradition of giving minimal notice, yet expecting practices to inform their teams and patients, and forcing suppliers to rush out changes to practice management software. Only a few weeks after finally offering contact holders an uplift of just 4.75% , patient charges are to rise by 8.5%.
Read more: Patient Charges Rise By More Than Uplift - Reaction
GDPUK readers opinion of the CQC may be influenced by their own interactions with the organisation. Those who have had reasonable inspection experiences and received a fair report may be mystified to see the not infrequent criticism of the CQC.
Read more: CQC Parallel Universe for Oral Health in Care Homes
In this second article reporting on the oral evidence presented to the Health & Social Care Committee’s Inquiry into NHS Dental Access, GDPUK’s Guy Tuggle reviews the wide ranging topics evaluated by Ian Brack, the Chief Executive and Registrar of the General Dental Council; Dr Abhi Pal, President of the College of General Dentistry; and Malcolm Smith, Chair of HEE’s Advancing Dental Care Review and Dental Education Reform Programme.
Read more: Oral Evidence To Commons Committee Pulls No Punches – Part Two