The London Assembly has called upon Mayor Sadiq Khan to bring his influence on government to bear and lobby for dental contract reform ‘as a matter of urgency‘.
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Will the real GDC please stand up.
On the one hand we have talk of the need for trust and transparency as well as outgoing chair, Lord Harris in January 2025 saying that: “Improving FtP processes wherever we can remains a firm priority for the GDC. We know that investigations take a long time and can cause stress and anxiety. Changes made in recent years help, and we have firm plans in place to do more.”
Read more: GDC Steadfast with Sanctions Despite Unravelling FTP Cases
High consumption of Ultra Processed Foods (UPFs) has already been linked to an increased risk of obesity, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, mental health issues and some cancers. Now they have been implicated in increasing malocclusions.
Read more: Ultra Processed Foods Accused of Reducing Jaw Size
A dental and hospital staple for decades is the subject of multiple press articles raising concerns about its safety. A bill to ban its use is currently under consideration in the Lords.
Lord Toby Harris may be stepping down as GDC Chair later this year, but his preview of the council‘s plans for 2025 remains relevant to all registrants. In terms of recent GDC chairs he is by far the ‘biggest beast‘ arriving with a long record of senior public service roles. Indeed, a stated reason for declining the usual second term as GDC chair, is that there are increasing demands upon his time from the new Labour government.
There is some good workforce news. Following the registration renewal period for dentists, the GDC reports that the total number of dentists has risen by 3%. The morning after removals, there were 45,580 dentists on the Register representing a 3.10% increase when compared to the same time in 2024.
With Wes Streeting‘s ‘deaths door‘ comment about the state of NHS dentistry, and the BDA‘s series of last chance saloon warnings, it would be easy to conclude that the game was up for NHS dentistry.
Read more: Positive NHS Dentistry News, Fighting Back or Last Hurrah?
A petition bearing over 258,000 signatures demanding action to address the dental crisis was delivered to Keir Starmer in Downing Street last week.
British Dental Association Chair Eddie Crouch was accompanied by, amongst others Consultant Tom Thayer, oral cancer patient and survivor Anthony Page, Women‘s Institute representative Camilla Revell. Three MPs, two Labour and one LibDem, joined the profession and patient representatives.
Read more: 258,000 Signatures Dentistry Petition Handed In To Downing Street
After record-breaking delays, and clearly very careful consideration, Ministers have now approved yet another real terms pay reduction for dentists in England.
Read more: BDA Inform Profession - NHS Dentistry Pay is CUT AGAIN