July 3rd 2025 saw the launch of the Government‘s 10 year NHS plan, “fit for the future”
The summary explains that this follows the Lord Darzi‘s investigation. The very first bullet point summarising its findings is, ‘many cannot get an NHS GP or dental appointment.‘
No commentsRead more: Three Year Tie In - Streeting's Plan for a Decade
GDPUK recently covered one influential figure‘s view of how NHS dentistry might look in the future. At about the same time the BDA has offered a somewhat more dentist centric vision.
As NHS England is wound down there is no shortage of other groups eager to be involved in shaping the service‘s future. One established voice is the NHS Confederation. This is a membership organisation that supports and speaks on behalf of the whole public healthcare system in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Read more: Competing Visions for the Future of NHS Dentistry
‘Not as bad as Bill Moyes‘ may be a low bar, but as his departure from the GDC this September gets closer, many registrants will pause to reflect on Lord Toby Harris‘s four years as GDC Chair.
Governing may not be as easy as it looks from the opposition benches. Last July, Wes Streeting almost bounced into office as Health Secretary. He saw the Conservatives reduced to a rump, a broadly welcoming BDA, and had a cunning plan to remove the NHS England thorn that had been in his predecessors‘ side. What could possibly go wrong?
On both sides of the border, there are problems with access to dental care on the island of Ireland. Despite different governments and different systems for providing care, an ever diminishing chance of getting to see a dentist appears to be a shared experience.
Read more: Ireland's Differing Dental Systems Share Problems
Research by indemnity provider Dental Protection has revealed that many dental professionals are experiencing mental health issues. Worryingly, they feel unable to take time off to address them and fear they are compromising the quality of care they deliver.
Commentators on some of the big dento-legal cases of the last decade have called into question the quality of expert witnesses.
It seems as if everyone wants their own Dental School. Politicians and university chiefs in Bangor and Norwich continue to make the case for theirs, and now Lincoln has joined the club.
Read more: Suffolk University Dental School Gets FT Seal of Approval