Calling all dental professionals – have your voice heard in the latest NHS Confidence Monitor

The fourth NHS Confidence Monitor survey is now live, offering all dental professionals – whether in NHS or private practice – the opportunity to share their views on the future of NHS dentistry.

Since its launch in December 2014, the aim of the survey has been to gain insight into all team members’ confidence levels in the future of NHS dentistry.

Commenting on the survey, Judith Husband, who sits on the BDA’s Principal Executive Committee, said: ‘The last NHS Confidence Monitor carried out was the most extensive so far, having grown in popularity partly because all team members want to have their say on the potential for change.

‘As the first of its kind in the UK and leading the way in informing the dental team, it is wonderful that we are now in a position to use the data gathered to offer advice on a continuing basis, helping everyone working in dental practice to rise above any perceived challenges and improve the situation for professionals and patients alike.’

To aid understanding for everyone involved in the delivery of dentistry, a number of new questions have been added to this survey, including one on whether NHS dental professionals feel that an improvement in their confidence could be derived from something other than a change in the NHS contract. The answers to this may go some way to supporting the profession in turning the current, low-confidence situation around, so your opinion really does count.

As previously, the survey will also monitor the profession’s confidence in:

•                The future of NHS dentistry as a whole

•                Future career prospects

•                Remuneration levels

•                Getting the balance of treatment versus prevention within the NHS right

•                The ability of the team to work effectively within the NHS

•                Whether patients will be happy with level of care provided.

Eddie Crouch, Vice Chair of the British Dental Association Principal Executive Committee, had this to say about the forthcoming roll-out of the survey: ‘With three sets of data behind us, there is no denying the value of the results gathered to date. As well as helping to enlighten the profession, the information gathered can be used as a springboard to support dental teams in planning for a better future.   

‘The more information we can gather, the better the advice experts in the field will be able to offer. So, for instance, the concern shown in the survey about the dental team’s ability to work effectively within the NHS has led us to look into how a principal might improve the skill mix within the practice to deliver the best possible results.

‘As the picture of the future of NHS dentistry builds, more and more dentists and their teams will be able to benefit from the Monitor results, to enable effective future planning for all dental practices, whatever the future may hold for NHS dentistry.’

To take part in the latest NHS Confidence Monitor and share your thoughts, please visit https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/PracticePlanNHSConfidenceMonitor4 before the closing date of 31st July 2016. The survey should take approximately three minutes of your time.

For detailed results from the last three surveys, visit www.nhsdentistryinsights.co.uk. Here you can also access the discussions from our previous Insights Panel, made up of key opinion leaders and experts from the dental profession who explore and debate the significance of the survey results and their implications for the future of NHS.