The British Dental Association (BDA) is urging dentists to make their voices heard in response to proposals from the General Dental Council (GDC) that patients are able to access dental professionals directly.
Under the campaign banner ‘Speak up for dentistry’, the BDA is encouraging dentists to add their own voices to that of their professional association by submitting individual responses to the General Dental Council’s consultation which closes at the end of December.
Dr Martin Fallowfield, Chair of the BDA’s Principal Executive Committee, said:
“In recent years it has felt like dentistry has been subjected to a barrage of regulation, expense and reform that has scant regard for real improvement of patient care. Too often dentists have been left feeling that their attempts to care for patients have been undermined, rather than supported.
“Allowing patients to access dental care professionals directly would be a fundamental change. Dentists support the development of the dental team, but would this proposal improve care and provide more choice and convenience for patients? Or would it limit choice and compromise patient safety by placing responsibility for detecting conditions with those who are not trained to detect them? And how will it affect the number of dentists being trained – could it mean dental unemployment in the future? I urge every dentist to join the BDA in speaking up for dentistry and let the GDC have their views.”
Also under the ‘Speak Up for Dentistry’ banner, the BDA is encouraging members to respond to the GDC’s consultation on proposals to inflate Continuing Professional Development requirements and a CQC consultation on proposed fee changes. Details of the consultations, how to respond and the closing dates for comments are available on campaign specific pages on the BDA website.
The consultations to which the BDA is urging members to submit responses have been chosen because we feel that the weight of responses to them could influence their outcomes. The BDA will respond to each, with officers elected by the membership steering the responses it submits.
