Conservative Peer Lord Colwyn spoke last week during the traditional House of Lords debate that follows the Queen’s Speech, highlighting the current state of NHS dentistry.
Lord Colwyn started by praising the progress that has been made over the last two years in developing the pilots for a new NHS dental contract and welcomed the Department of Health’s recent decision to extend the pilot period until March 2013. He went on to speak about the frustration that dentists experienced with Care Quality Commission registration, pointing out that many dentists continue to believe that CQC regulation of dentistry is neither appropriate or proportionate.
Lord Colwyn also touched on the changes that dentistry faces as a result of the Government’s health reforms, with the NHS Commissioning Board taking on national responsibility for commissioning dental services. He urged the Government to ensure that local dental expertise is appropriately used in the new structures, with Consultants in Dental Public Health and local professional networks in dentistry having important roles to play.
The Hansard transcript of Lord Colwyn’s speech is available to read online.
