LDC Conference 2010 - full report available
The full report from LDC Conference 2010, held in Harrogate this year, is now available to download.
June 2010 saw an excellent LDC Conference take place in Harrogate, chaired by Dr Richard Emms. The day was packed with a programme consisting of updates and presentations from Dr John Milne, Chair of the GDPC; representatives from the Care Quality Commission (CQC); Dr Mike Warburton from the Department of Health; and Professor Jimmy Steele who led last year’s independent review of NHS dentistry.
There were a number of motions passed at LDC Conference this year and these are all available in the full Conference report.
Read about the vision of the new Chair of LDC Conference, Mick Armstrong, in Issue 7 of LDC Connections.
NHS White Paper launched by Government:
Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS
The Government launched the White Paper ‘Equity and excellence, Liberating the NHS’ yesterday, on 13 July, setting out their vision for NHS reform. Additional information is available on the Department of Health website.
Initial information about those areas that are relevant to dentistry is available in the briefing note from the BDA.
Consultation will commence immediately, with stakeholders expected to respond to the White Paper by early October. The Health Bill is expected to be introduced to Parliament in Autumn 2010, with the NHS Outcomes Framework expected to be fully implemented by April 2012.
More information and comment will be made available via LDC Connections in due course. Please remember to draw these communications to the attention of the wider membership of your LDC.
Steele Pilots: second wave for 'expressions of interest'
On 25 February the Department of Health issued a second round of letters inviting expressions of interest for the first wave of Steele pilots. The letter from this second round of mailings can be downloaded from the bottom of this page.
The original letters were due to have been sent on the 10 February with a closing date for expressions of interest as 19 February. Unfortunately, due to an administrative error, most letters did not arrive until the closing date for expressions of interest. The second letters extend the deadline to 5 March for the first wave of pilots but the deadline for expressions of interest in the second wave of pilots remains 19 March.
The first wave of pilots will involve providers who are, or will be, running new blended contracts by 1 April. To qualify for a first wave pilot you must fulfil this requirement or be a provider who is piloting a specific facet of the Steele recommendations, either through an existing contract or a new contract beginning in April. If you do not meet these requirements you may still be eligible for the second wave of pilots, scheduled to commence in September. The specific models to be piloted are currently being determined by the Programme Board.
Expressing an interest at this stage does not commit you to involvement in a pilot but it will ensure you have access to further information should you be interested.
Previous special updates are available below:
Steele Review Implementation: pilots get underway
This is a special LDC Connections update to draw your attention to the recent announcement from the Department of Health about Steele pilots. The Department of Health is seeking expressions of interest from PCT's, SHA's and dentists who wish to participate in Steele pilots. This week, letters have been sent to all dental practices, PCTs and SHAs, inviting participation and providing more information about how to get involved. These have also been published on the Department's website. Further information and advice in relation to the pilots will shortly be made available by the BDA on its website for any considering getting involved.
Since the publication of the Steele Review in June 2009, the Department of Health has been planning how the recommendations can be implemented. As part of this process, a number of work-streams have been set up to steer the work on the development of recommendations set out in the Review.
Work-streams
The specific work-streams that will oversee the development and testing of new arrangements are:
Care pathways and quality
Contract pilots and evaluation
Commissioning development and business support
Communications, patient empowerment and information
Finance
Workforce development (via Medical Education England)
Each of the work-streams have a steering group led by the Department of Health comprising representatives from stakeholder groups. General Dental Practice Committee and the Salaried Services Committee are represented on each of the work-streams and the GDPC Chair, John Milne, is on the overarching Programme Board.
A copy of the Programme Structure is included in the briefing pack, issued by the Department of Health, and available to download below with the main documents.
Further general information about the Review is available from the BDA website.
