Since she was appointed Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Victoria Atkins, has not had much to say about dentistry.
No commentsRead more: Poorly Briefed, New Minister Struggles with Dental Questions
The latest State of Care report published by the Care Quality Commission has underlined the dire state of access to much Health and Social Care in England. It paints a picture of services struggling to recruit workers and retain the ones they’ve got.
Read more: CQC Report Confirms Dire State Of Access – But Offers No Solutions
According to Denplan’s 2023 Oral Healthcare Report, 59% of the population say they are more likely to see a familiar face when they visit their dentist than their family doctor.
Read more: Medical Loyalty: Patients Prefer Dental Consistency
Dental teams are familiar with well-intentioned projects supposed to protect the public, or raise standards, that all too often have achieved the exact opposite. A senior figure in the profession has now concluded that yet another initiative intended to make healthcare safer is not fit for purpose.
As the government struggles to appear in control of migration to the UK, the BDA has contributed to a joint letter to the Home Secretary describing proposed age assessments as unethical.
UK dentistry may sometimes seem to follow the USA’s lead in dental innovations, but in at least one important area America is still trying to catch up.
First it was sugar awareness week. Then it was revealed that the husband of the new Minister of Health, Victoria Atkins, happens to have been the chief executive of British Sugar since October 2022.
Read more: Sugar Tax - The Icing on the Cake for Health Secretary
BUPA Dental made the shock announcement that they intended to dispose of 85 practices in March. This represented nearly 20% of their estate.
For a long time there has been a reluctance from NHS authorities and government, to accept the evidence that NHS Dentistry was turning into, at best, an emergency service, and abandoning any pretext of offering continuing care.